Kris Tatum is a Founder and President for Company Distilling, headquartered in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Miami-born and Knoxville-bred, Tatum graduated from the University of Tennessee before starting his career in auditing and traversing through restaurant, hospitality, and construction industries in East Tennessee.
A genuine Tennessean, Tatum is all-in on creating a generational company for his sons to be engaged in one day. His entrepreneurial spirit and infectious personality have taken him across the state and beyond to promote Tennessee as a leader in the spirits and distilling industry through the Tennessee Distillers Guild and has watched the Guild become a part of history with the launch of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail.
Tatum has been passionate about bourbon for some time. He and two business partners founded Old Forge Distillery in 2012 and opened the doors in 2014, making it the first and only craft distillery in Pigeon Forge to date.
As one of the Tennessee Distillers Guild’s founding members in 2014, Tatum has served in several important roles including President, member of the Board of Directors, and as Chair of the Guild’s Legislative Committee, passing and leading 13 legislation efforts for the industry that provided revenue and alleviated taxes to all of distilleries in the state of Tennessee – large and small. He is proud to say he didn’t lose when going to bat for the industry. Furthermore, Tatum is proud to have led the charge to make business and leadership opportunities available to women and minorities from the beginning to the day he stepped down as President to start his latest venture.
Outside of the office, you’ll find Tatum on the court coaching or playing basketball with his two sons. His competitive spirit is what drives any organization he’s apart of to the next level. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of East Tennessee and is also a member of the 2022 class of Leadership Knoxville. Tatum loves his community and does all he can to live and promote a “live local” philosophy in his life. Watching the community, it’s people and businesses grow and succeed is what drives him most at this stage of his career.