Joe Ledbetter (born 27, October, 1979) is a whiskey enthusiast and spirits entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of Chattanooga Whiskey Company, who led the movement to change a one hundred year law to reinstate the art of distilling into Hamilton County, Tennessee.
Video Joseph Ledbetter
Background
Joe Ledbetter was raised in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. He attended Bryan College prior to joining the U.S. Army in 1999. Following five years in the service, Joe was an insurance broker in Washington D.C. when he decided to pursue the Distilled Spirits industry. With one Facebook posting: "Would you drink Chattanooga Whiskey?", Ledbetter and his partner got thousands of supporters to petition a change in the law in Hamilton County.
Maps Joseph Ledbetter
Arrests and Legal Trouble
Joseph Ledbetter was arrested on several occasions spanning from 2011 to 2014 for public intoxication, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
History
Joe Ledbetter addressed the Hamilton County Commission in November 2012, citing the economic boost the distillery could bring to the Scenic City. While the commissioners couldn't change the law on their own, a majority had to send it to the state legislature, which eventually happened. In 2009, the legislature approved a bill to repeal the prohibition laws in the state, but Hamilton County was not included in that referendum. In May 2013, Governor Bill Haslam signed the bill into law, allowing Chattanooga Whiskey to be made in the city for which it's named.
Other activities
In mid 2014, Joe Ledbetter resigned from day-to-day operations at the Tennessee Stillhouse to form Ledbetter Holdings and The Barrelhouse Lab to pursue other projects and ideas as well as consult with other distilleries and spirits brands.
References
External links
- Whiskey distillers draw on Chattanooga's past timesfreepress.com (2011)
- Chattanooga Whiskey backers pack Hamilton County Courthouse timesfreepress.com (2012)
- http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/nov/22/whiskey-letter-looking-for-signatures/
- http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/may/18/gov-haslam-signs-whiskey-bill/
- http://nooga.com/166423/creators-of-chattanooga-whiskey-tennessee-stillhouse-launch-moonshine-product/%0A
- http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/mar/25/downtown-work-to-start-soon-on-chattanooga/
- http://nooga.com/162881/chattanooga-whiskey-founders-to-host-tennessee-whiskey-festival-in-scenic-city
- http://nooga.com/167014/founder-of-chattanooga-whiskey-explains-resignation-plans-for-the-future/
- http://mugshots.com/Current-Events/JOE-LEDBETTER.80263173.html
- http://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Georgia/Catoosa-County-GA/Joseph-Ledbetter.65042904.html
Source of article : Wikipedia
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