Nothing perks up the day like a sip of something smooth and aged.East Tennessee offers a wide variety of wineries, distilleries and breweries bottling pure Volunteer State flavor.
In Knoxville, the Sam Works Brewing Company specializes in craft beers, including a pale ale, a brown ale and a seasonal Rocky Hop IPA. Groups can tour the brewery or reserve The Mill for special events and tastings. At the Blue Slip Winery (www.blueslip.com), drinking is a complete local experience. The fruit used for each of the two dozen wines is locally grown, and the wine is made on-site at the Knoxville location, making it one of the few urban wineries in the region. Go for something sophisticated like the Touriga, a Portuguese grape wine, or something fun like the Whup Ass Red.
Moonshine still has that outlaw reputation, so it’s hard to resist places like Ole Smoky Distillery in Gatlinburg. Take a tour past real-life moonshine stills, learn the rich history of moonshining, and sample not only true White Lightnin’ but also flavors like Apple Pie, Strawberry, Lemon Drop and Peach. If there’s no time to make the trip to the distillery, planners can arrange for tastings at a meeting or reception. The down-home approach of Ole Smoky is so successful, the company is opening a new location in Pigeon Forge this October. Pigeon Forge also boasts Old Forge Distillery which opened in July. The distillery offers three varieties, including 1830 Original corn whiskey, at its tasting bar.
Gatlinburg is also home to Sugarlands Distillery which makes moonshine in the original 100 proof formula as well as slightly weaker flavors of Southern sweet tea, Butterscotch Gold and Blockader’s Blackberry. Tours of the distillery are available, and the distillery has partnered with an outdoor guide company to offer camping trips, hikes and other adventures for groups.
DeBarge Winery is Chattanooga’s first urban winery, occupying a historic 1910 building in town. In addition to a tasting room, the winery also offers venue rental in the back of the building, which is equipped with a prep kitchen and can handle anything from receptions to formal dinners for up to 70 people.
