Tremaine Atkinson
Tremaine Atkinson is one of the most influential figures in the modern revival of distilling in Illinois. As co-founder, distiller, and chief executive of Chicago’s CH Distillery, he helped transform a city with a long but interrupted spirits heritage into a center of contemporary craft distilling. His career is notable because it did not begin in the beverage industry. Instead, Atkinson spent decades in finance before combining business expertise with a passion for fermentation and spirits production to create one of Illinois' most successful distilleries.
Atkinson was born on July 18, 1964. Not much has been verified regarding his early childhood, but as young man, he attended the University of California, San Diego, where he studied economics, graduating in 1988. While attending university there, Atkinson developed a strong curiosity about how alcoholic beverages were being made and marketed. Shortly after graduation, he moved to San Francisco, arriving at a particularly significant moment in American brewing history, for at that time, the city was becoming one of the epicenters of the first craft beer revolution.
Living in San Francisco exposed Atkinson to a culture of experimentation and craftsmanship. He became an enthusiastic home brewer and immersed himself in the technical aspects of fermentation. Rather than treating brewing as a casual hobby, he studied yeastpropagation, fermentation science, and all-grain brewing techniques. His small North Beach apartment reportedly became a laboratory of sorts, where he and friends brewed beer while refining their understanding of the brewing process. This interest eventually led him to launch the North Beach Brewing Company in 1989.
Even during his brewing years, however, Atkinson's ambitions extended beyond beer. Vodka soon became his preferred spirit, and he became increasingly interested in distillation. Yet the opportunity to pursue that interest in any aspect other than as a hobbyist eluded him, and he returned to a lengthy and lucrative, if not stimulating, career in finance.
In 1998, Atkinson moved to Chicago. The relocation marked the beginning of a professional chapter that lasted roughly a quarter century. He entered the asset-management industry and eventually became a partner, chief operating officer, and chief compliance officer at LSV Asset Management, a major Chicago-based institutional investment firm overseeing tens of billions of dollars in assets. The role demanded analytical rigor, attention to detail, regulatory expertise, and operational discipline. Those same qualities would later help him navigate the complex world of alcohol production and distribution.
Yet Atkinson never lost his enthusiasm for fermentation and beverage production. Throughout his years in Chicago, he continued studying the science behind brewing and distilling. By early 2011, Atkinson decided that the time had come to pursue his long-standing dream of operating a distillery. To prepare himself, he completed formal distillation training through the renowned Siebel Institute, one of the most respected distilling schools in the United States. There he expanded his knowledge of fermentation, production techniques, and distillation technology. After completing his studies at Siebel, he partnered with longtime friend Mark Lucas to establish CH Distillery in 2012. The distillery officially opened a year later. Atkinson envisioned a grain-to-bottle operation that would emphasize local sourcing, quality ingredients, and meticulous productionstandards. From the beginning, the company focused on producing spirits from scratchrather than purchasing bulk alcohol from outside suppliers. This approach required substantial investment and technical expertise, but it also allowed the distillery to exercise complete control over its products.
The venture quickly gained attention within Chicago's growing craft spirits community. Under Atkinson's leadership, CH expanded beyond vodka into a broad portfolio of spirits. The company eventually became one of the largest distilling operations within the city, operating from a large production facility in Chicago's historic Pilsen neighborhood. Atkinson continues to insist on drinkability, quality, and value as guiding principles of the business.
One of the most consequential moments in Atkinson's career occurred in 2018 when CH Distillery acquired the Carl Jeppson Company and the rights to Jeppson's Malört. Malört is an intensely bitter, wormwood-based herbal liqueur deeply associated with Chicago. Originally created by a Swedish immigrant in the 1930s, it is a localized version of traditional Swedish bäsk. Drinking it as a dare or a "rite of passage" is a popular local tradition, largely because of its famously polarizing, medicinal, and abrasive flavor.
In 2020, the company introduced Jeppson's Bourbon, extending the historic Jeppson name into American whiskey. The launch reflected Atkinson's long-standing interest in brown spirits and his desire to broaden the company's portfolio beyond vodka and liqueurs.
Away from business, Atkinson has maintained a strong interest in music and the arts. He performs as both a guitarist and vocalist and enjoys music ranging from classical composers to popular rock. As a resident of Chicago for 25 years, he has served on the board of the acclaimed Chicago contemporary music ensemble Eighth Blackbird and is described as a supporter of that city’s arts community. He and his wife share a home with their beloved canine, and are the very proud parents of three grown daughters.
Tremaine Atkinson's career illustrates an uncommon path into the spirits industry. Rather than emerging from a family distilling tradition, he arrived through economics, finance, brewing, and self-directed scientific study. By combining entrepreneurial vision with operational discipline, he helped establish CH Distillery as a major force in Illinois spirits production and ushered the Jeppson's brand into a nationally-recognized marque. In doing so, he secured a place among the most significant figures in the modern history of distilling in the Windy City.
Sources:
USA Trade Tasting, “CH Distillery's CEO Tremaine Atkinson…Speak at USA Trade Tasting”, September 14, 2023, usatradetasting.com
Breakthru Beverage Group, “CH Distillery: Chicago Born and Bred”, August 29, 2018, breakthrubev.com
USA Trade Tasting, “How to Operate a Distillery Successfully as a CEO: Tremaine Atkinson”, 2023, usatradetasting.com
Time Out Chicago, “Virtual Whiskey Tasting…Tremaine Atkinson”, May 15, 2020, timeout.com
Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview, Tennessee
