PostModern Spirits to Close After Nearly Decade-Long Run in Old City

An Old City craft staple is preparing to pour its final cocktail.

Both the PostModern Spirits tasting room and its production arm, PostModern Distilling, will close on Jan. 31, ending a nearly 10-year run at 205 W. Jackson Ave. in the historic Jackson Terminal. PostModern helped define Knoxville’s craft cocktail era, turning house-distilled spirits into imaginative drinks that felt fresh and never precious.

The announcement, shared in full below, follows closely on the heels of other recent closures, including Last Days of Autumn Brewing on Magnolia Avenue and Saint Lucille’s Kitchen at Emory Place, all reminders of the fragility of the local food and beverage landscape. 

Dear Friends & Family ~ a note from our hearts:

Nearly 10 years ago, we opened the doors to PostModern Spirits with a simple goal: make great spirits and share them with our amazing community. 

Like many small businesses, we have faced a changing and increasingly challenging environment. Sadly, it is time to close this chapter and announce that we will be closing the tasting room after service on Saturday, Jan. 31. While this isn’t the ending we imagined, it is one filled with deep gratitude.

To our incredible team—past and present—thank you for your passion, creativity, hard work and sharing in the dream of distilling the best spirits possible in Knoxville. You poured your hearts into every bottle and every guest experience, and this place could not have existed without you. Thank you for making our distillery an inviting, caring, safe and warm space to be. 

To our regulars who became friends, thank you for supporting our business and making our tasting room a fun place to share a drink and enjoy a great conversation. To our restaurant and bar partners who proudly mixed and poured our spirits and to the liquor stores that believed in us enough to make space on their shelves, thank you for supporting this quirky little distillery from Knoxville. Your support meant more than we can ever properly express.

We hope to see you all in the next few days at our Old City Home! Thanks again for your support and don’t forget to support local businesses! 

Stanton & The PostModern Team

We extend our gratitude and well-wishes to owner Stanton Webster, who was behind a lot of early downtown efforts including La Costa on Market Square and was one of the original partners in Knox Whiskey Works and Suttree’s High Gravity Tavern. From pivoting to survive during the pandemic to adapting and innovating as they grew, no one could have worked harder than Stanton to see PostModern through with integrity and care.

Alan covered the distillery’s opening in 2017; when the doors opened, the original lineup included Kore Vodka, Giniferous Gin, Empirical Gin, Chamomile Liqueur and Elderberry Gin Liqueur, an early signal that this would be a distillery more interested in experimentation than convention. Over time, that spirit of innovation expanded into various amari, limited releases and collaborative whiskeys. The adjoining tasting room became known for thoughtfully crafted cocktails, seasonal ingredients, a killer porch and a lounge-style interior that felt equally suited to a casual drink or a deeper dive into the distilling process.

The closure adds to a growing list of departures that have sparked conversations about rising costs, shifting consumer habits and the challenges facing independent operators downtown. PostModern’s absence will leave a noticeable gap in Knoxville’s craft cocktail scene.

Postmodern Spirits will remain open through Jan. 31. Stop by, stock up on your favorite spirits (and print off those recipes!), tip your bartender well, and toast a downtown original while you still can.

Postmodern Spirits: Website | Facebook | Instagram