ASW Distillery and Big Green Egg—two of Georgia’s most iconic brands—release Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon: a cask-strength, triple-oaked wheated bourbon finished on hand-harvested North Georgia white oak, toasted and charred directly on the Egg.
ATLANTA, GA — In the mountains of North Georgia, ASW Distillery Master Distiller Justin Manglitz works with a longtime friend to personally select and harvest white oak heartwood from storm-downed trees, then seasons the staves outdoors for up to two years. Once properly seasoned, Manglitz toasts the staves pitmaster-style on a Big Green Egg using Big Green Egg’s oak and hickory charcoal blend, suspending them directly above the coals to allow the transformation to begin.
That process—equal parts craft, patience, and fire—is the story of Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon, a new collaboration between two of Atlanta’s most celebrated brands. Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon is available beginning April 24, 2026, at ASW Distillery’s four Atlanta tasting rooms and online at Seelbachs.com, with retail distribution launching in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and additional markets coming online throughout the summer. Suggested retail price: $59.99.
ASW Distillery, recently named home of the “World’s Best Small Batch Bourbon (6–10 Years)” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Big Green Egg, the iconic ceramic cooker trusted by backyard pitmasters and Michelin-starred chefs in more than 50 countries, have created a bourbon unlike anything else on the shelf: rooted in Georgia terroir, shaped by fire, and built for sipping around the Egg.
The Technique: What the Egg Does to the Wood
Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon begins with a unique marriage of two different high-wheat mash bills. Six barrels from each batch are double-oaked using ASW’s patented high-wheat mash bill (51% corn, 45% wheat, 4% malted barley); the remaining two barrels from each batch are single-oaked with a bolder mash bill (64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley).
What makes this bourbon singular is what happens to the finishing staves before they ever touch a barrel. Manglitz prepares them on the Big Green Egg, suspended over Big Green Egg’s oak and hickory charcoal blend—the same setup a competition pitmaster would use to manage smoke and heat—two ways:
- Toasting (Indirect Heat): Staves placed away from direct flame develop a rich red layer in the wood—the same Maillard reaction that gives a properly rested steak its crust. The result: caramel, toffee, and deep confectionery sweetness.
- Charring (Direct Heat): Staves positioned immediately above the coals take on a delicate char layer—think the bark on a 12-hour brisket. The result: smoke, maple, body, and the vanilla notes that great char always unlocks.
Each barrel is finished on 15 of these staves.
“The Big Green Egg doesn’t just cook food—it transforms it. We built this bourbon around that same idea: what happens when you apply that kind of heat, craft, and patience to the wood that shapes a whiskey? The answer is in the glass.”
— Justin Manglitz, Master Distiller, ASW Distillery
Two Atlanta Originals, One Shared Standard
Big Green Egg’s world headquarters sits a few exits north of ASW Distillery’s Buckhead location on I-85. When ASW approached Big Green Egg about collaborating, it turned out the teams already had more in common than geography. Big Green Egg’s CEO, Dan Gertsacov, and ASW’s CEO, Jim Chasteen, had repeatedly crossed paths through each executive’s involvement in fundraising events for local Atlanta nonprofit Giving Kitchen. Finally, at one of those events, they struck up a conversation around a potential collaboration—drawn together by each company’s shared focus on the unique qualities that wood imparts on well-crafted food and drink.
They started small in the spring of 2025, testing various stave-finishing methods and finishing times. The success of those initial limited releases—and the overwhelmingly positive reception from Big Green Egg’s dealer ecosystem—prompted both companies to explore what an expanded partnership could look like. As the second half of 2025 progressed, Manglitz experimented with numerous concepts before landing on the mash bill and finishing method that would define Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon as a standardized, widely available expression: one that draws on the pioneering innovations of both companies and the authenticity inherent in this homegrown Atlanta partnership.
Both companies were built in Atlanta on an uncompromising belief that the best things take time, skill, and fire. Big Green Egg has spent decades setting the global standard for ceramic cooking, earning a devoted following that spans every continent. ASW Distillery, founded in 2016 by three University of Georgia graduates, has spent a decade proving that the South is capable of producing world-class whiskey—earning the title of “World’s Best Small Batch Bourbon (6–10 Years)” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for its flagship Fiddler Bourbon.
For Atlanta’s business community, the collaboration is a case study in what homegrown brands can build when they stop looking outside the city for their next move. Two companies, both founded and headquartered in Atlanta, both with global followings, creating something that could only have come from this city.
“We’re drawn to brands that share our obsession with craft. Big Green Egg has spent decades mastering what fire can do to flavor. That’s exactly the spirit we’ve tried to bring to every barrel we’ve ever made.”
— Charlie Thompson, Co-Founder, ASW Distillery
“At Big Green Egg, everything we do comes back to the transformative power of fire. When ASW approached us about using the Egg to finish their bourbon, it felt completely natural—it’s the same principle we’ve always believed in: apply the right heat, the right way, and you unlock flavors that simply don’t exist otherwise. This bourbon is a genuine expression of what both our brands stand for.”
— Tyler Hartsook, Director of Brand Experiences, Big Green Egg
Availability
Fiddler Big Green Egg Bourbon is available beginning April 24, 2026, at ASW Distillery’s four Atlanta tasting rooms and online at Seelbachs.com. Retail distribution launches in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, with additional markets coming online throughout the summer. Suggested retail price: $59.99.
As a limited, barrel-selected release produced in small quantities, each expression will vary by release.
About ASW Distillery
Founded in 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, by three University of Georgia graduates, ASW Distillery is an award-winning craft spirits producer known for its Fiddler Bourbon line and its innovative approach to American whiskey. Fiddler Bourbon was recently named “World’s Best Small Batch Bourbon (6–10 Years)” at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. ASW operates four Atlanta locations, including ASW Flights & Bites at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and distributes nationally.
About Big Green Egg
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Big Green Egg is the world’s premier ceramic cooker, beloved by backyard enthusiasts and professional chefs in more than 50 countries.
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