J.W. Kelly & Co. · Chattanooga, Tennessee
Born in Ireland. Built in Chattanooga. Interrupted by Prohibition. Revived for a new generation.
The story of J.W. Kelly & Co. begins with one immigrant’s education in wine and commerce, then grows into a chapter of Chattanooga’s industrial history. It is a record of enterprise, whiskey, tobacco, hospitality, real estate, loss, and return.
The archival record
Waterford to Dublin
James Watt Kelly was born on February 26, 1844, in Waterford, Ireland, to Henry and Eliza Watt Kelly. When he was eight, the family moved to Dublin, where he received a business education grounded in the wholesale wine trade.
Across the Atlantic
Kelly emigrated to New York in February 1863. Drawn by Nashville’s growing whiskey trade, he moved to Tennessee in 1864. He first worked in books and stationery, then entered the liquor business as a rectifier and seller of his own brands.
A Chattanooga whiskey house
Kelly stopped in Chattanooga in September 1866 and stayed. He established his company, launched the Kelly Tobacco Company, founded Deep Springs Distillery, and partnered with Alabama grocer J.G. Webb. Their partnership continued until 1876.
Across from the Read House
The Read House opened across from Kelly’s office at 13–15 West Ninth Street. Kelly’s interests within the hotel included the bar, billiards room, cigar shop, and a restaurant, beginning a long association between two local landmarks.
Whiskey, tobacco, and real estate
Near the end of 1876, Kelly partnered with George W. Davenport. Together they continued the whiskey and tobacco businesses while buying and selling property and becoming prominent landlords. Davenport retired from the firm in July 1890.
Civic recognition
In December 1892, Kelly was named among the “One Hundred Men Who Have Done Much for Chattanooga.” He was the only distiller included. In 1900, Carl White joined the company as vice president.
The end of an era
J.W. Kelly died on March 10, 1907. His wife, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Kelly, followed on November 7 of the same year. They are interred together at Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanooga.
Tennessee prohibition, Kentucky production
In 1909, Tennessee enacted laws that sharply restricted alcohol sales and prohibited the manufacture of intoxicating beverages. J.W. Kelly & Co. and Kelly Tobacco Company became separate divisions. In 1911, Carl White acquired a half interest in the Kentucky Peerless Distilling Plant.
A final move
Whiskey production shifted to Henderson, Kentucky, while the Chattanooga business sold non-alcoholic beverages. After ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919, J.W. Kelly & Co. ceased operations.
Deep Springs disappears
Prohibition left Carl White as the company’s final board member. He retired and moved to California. Deep Springs Distillery, once a landmark of Chattanooga whiskey, was demolished in 1927.
The tobacco company carries on
Kelly Tobacco Company continued under several owners and names. The Witt Group purchased it in 1956, and Kelly Cigar Company joined the Hav-A-Tampa Group in 1962. The business closed in 1963, three years before its centennial.
The last Kelly building
After the distillery’s demolition, the office at 13–15 West Ninth Street remained as Kelly’s last surviving building. Recognized as Chattanooga’s first steel structure, it changed owners and addresses before demolition in the early 1980s.
The name returns
Keeper’s Quest relaunched J.W. Kelly & Co. in 2017 and revived Kelly’s original whiskey recipe. The work continues today: preserving not only a historic whiskey name, but the story of the man and city behind it.
