Ole Smoky distillery

A while back we traveled to Pigeon Forge to enjoy a weekend at Dollywood. While we were there we decided to drive down the road to Gatlinburg to check out the distilleries. I have been hunting for Ole Smoky's Rootbeer whiskey and thought I might find it at the distillery.

We first walked down the street and saw Sugar Land's distillery, but we continued down the street to Ole Smoky's Holler. There was a large outdoor venue with a stage set up in the middle and plenty of seating. Off to the right, there was a space that gave an educational journey into the processing of spirits. They weren't offering actual tours but the walls were plexiglass so you could see some of the processes being done there.

When we first walked into the Holler we noticed it was reminiscent of walking into a Moe's where everyone in the building greets you. We looked around and saw jars of moonshine as far as the eye could see. We stepped up to the counter and our server informed us that the state of Tennessee no longer allowed for free sampling of liquor products and that samples would be $5. In return, you got to sample 5 moonshines and got a $5 coupon toward any bottle that was purchased. After we sampled the moonshines we were told they were running a special. If we bought 6 bottles we got one bottle free, a free 4 pack of their canned beverages, and a cooler. If we bought 12 bottles we could get 2 free bottles, 2-4 packs, and an even bigger cooler. Now we didn't intend to leave the holler with 6 bottles but the moonshine was so good and the staff was so friendly that's exactly what happened. It wasn't until after we checked out with all our new bottles and some awesome shirts that I thought to ask why we hadn't seen any of the whiskey there. That's when they told us there was another storefront just for their whiskey up the road.

So there we were trekking up the road to the whiskey storefront to see if I could find my coveted rootbeer whiskey. We walked into the store and were greeted just as jovially there as we were at the Holler. Since we were headed home that day and I had already designated Alex as the driver, I had another sampling of the whiskey because as they say when in Gatlinburg. Not at all to our surprise they had a special on bottles, and wouldn't you know it we walked out of there with 6 whiskey bottles, a 4 pack, and a second cooler.

Ultimately if you make it to Gatlinburg for a weekend or want a distillery to check out in Tennessee I strongly suggest Ole Smoky. It was a great time everyone was friendly, and they all looked like they enjoyed working for the company. They are great salespeople as well.