Seth Watson

“Canvas & Casks”

The day Seth Watson first fell in love with whiskey, he didn’t anticipate that it would eventually lead to a 15,000-square-foot distillery, a gallery, a bar, and a community hub, all housed under one roof in the quaint Atlanta suburb of Chamblee, Georgia. However, as life often reveals, the best creations emerge when passions collide, and Seth’s collisions are vivid, tactile, and communal. Born in New York and raised there and in Florida by a single mother, Seth’s formative years were marked by motion, resilience, and a deep appreciation for art and aesthetics. His early life unfolded between two worlds, giving him a unique vision that would inform his venture later on.

Seth later attended the University of Florida, where he nurtured an appreciation for not only whiskey, but quality and approachability in what one crafts. College was where whiskey started to shift from a sip into a muse. After graduation, he launched into the world of event design and production, co-founding Track Seven Events in the Atlanta area. The business slowly grew into a powerhouse, hosting nearly 400 events per year at its peak and handling lighting, staging, décor, furniture, prop fabrication, and set design. Over nearly 18 years, creativity became his craft, and logistics became second nature.Around 2017, Seth sensed something was amiss. Driven by curiosity and yearning, he began exploring how to blend his event craftsmanship with a new obsession: craft spirits and whiskey. That same year, he sold his stake in Track Seven to focus fully on the unknown world of distilling. Owning his own business once already had taught Seth that his plunge into a new venture should be methodical. He researched Georgia’s archaic post-Prohibition alcohol laws, consulted lawyers and industry experts, traveled to distilleries in Tennessee and Kentucky, and assembled a team to help realize his vision. It was a journey of tenacity, learning curves, and late-night barrel tastings.

By 2021, the transformation began: Seth acquired a warehouse in Chamblee, Georgia, and began converting it into a living installation, equal parts distillery, gallery, tasting room, private events venue, and cocktail lounge. It was architecture as art, shifting appearance from day to night, a canvas just as much as a space.

When the Distillery of Modern Art (DoMA) opened its doors in 2022, Seth’s vision sprang to life. His philosophy: craft spirits as art forms, and art as an integral part of the drinking experience. Instead of expensive galleries that take 50–60% commissions, he invited local artists commission-free to create abstract labels; their original canvases now hang proudly in the distillery.