Old Forge Distillery

Why go: A century-old timber building beside the Old Mill turning stone-ground grain into small-batch spirits, with free moonshine tastings and a cocktail lounge on the same floor.

About Old Forge Distillery

Old Forge Distillery occupies a building made of Tennessee timber that is more than a hundred years old, a few yards from where the Old Mill’s head miller still grinds grain. That adjacency is the whole point. The distillery works with stone-ground grains from the Old Mill, one of the oldest continually operated gristmills in the country, and fresh mountain water, which puts a genuinely local input at the front of the process rather than a marketing line at the end of it.

Head Distiller Keener Shanton uses vapor infusion to pull flavor and color from roots, herbs, and spices, a technique that produced the Tennessee Roots line of small-batch spirits. The range has grown well past moonshine to include bourbon whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, and a cream liqueur line whose flavors are drawn from the ice cream made next door at the Old Mill Creamery.

Visitors can watch the stills working from the main floor, sample at the tasting bar, browse the bottle shop, and take a cocktail out to the lounge or patio. The distillery is a member of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail.

Getting to Old Forge Distillery

Old Forge Distillery is at 170 Old Mill Ave, in the heart of the historic Old Mill Square just off Traffic Light #7 on the Parkway. Turn east at the light and the square opens up almost immediately, with the distillery sitting beside the mill itself. Old Mill Square has shared parking for the whole cluster of shops and restaurants, and everything in it is within an easy walk once you have left the car, which makes this a good place to park once and cover several stops.

Why Choose Old Forge Distillery

Pigeon Forge has no shortage of moonshine counters. What sets this one apart is that it is a working distillery tied to a functioning gristmill, rather than a retail room with a still for decoration.

• Grain from next door. Spirits are made with stone-ground grains from the Old Mill rather than bought-in neutral base.
• Free tastings. Up to ten moonshine samples are offered at no charge, which is unusual in a town where tastings are normally a paid ticket.
• Breadth of the range. Well beyond moonshine, with bourbon whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, and seasonal cream liqueurs.
• A lounge, not just a counter. Craft cocktails are served in a seated lounge and patio area rather than handed over a retail desk.
• Dogs are welcome. The distillery is openly pet friendly, which matters when the rest of the group is walking the square.

Menu Favorites

The tasting bar is where most visits start, and the range runs from traditional high-proof clear spirit to dessert flavors that drink more like a liqueur. These are the pours worth spending your samples on.

• 1830 Traditional. The high-proof clear line, closest to what came off a mountain still two centuries ago.
• Tennessee Roots. The vapor-infused small-batch line that draws flavor and color from roots, herbs, and spices.
• Blended Bourbon Whiskey. One of two handcrafted bourbon offerings, best served neat or over ice.
• Harvest Gin. Barrel aged, and a departure from the usual clear juniper profile.
• Cream Liqueurs. Seasonal and bottled at low proof, with flavors taken from the ice cream made next door.
• Dessert Moonshines. Oatmeal Cookie, Chocolate, Coffee, French Toast, and Bananas Foster among more than two dozen flavors.
• Craft Cocktails. A rotating seasonal menu built on the house spirits, served in the lounge.

What to Expect

This is a compact, walk-in operation rather than a ticketed attraction, and the way it runs differs from the bigger distillery venues in town. A few things are worth knowing before you arrive.

• No guided tour. Distillery operations are visible from the main floor, and staff answer questions as you go rather than running scheduled tours.
• Tastings are walk-up. No reservations are taken, and the moonshine samples are free, though a couple of the premium pours carry a small charge.
• Two different schedules. The cocktail bar keeps shorter weekday hours than the distillery floor, so an early weekday visit is tastings and shopping only.
• Busy in season. The tasting bar can back up during peak weeks, so an early arrival is worth the effort.
• Buy it here or nowhere nearby. Spirits cannot be shipped, though bottles can be found in package stores across the Southeast.
• ID required. Anyone sampling must be twenty-one or older with a valid photo ID, and the distillery enforces a zero tolerance policy on underage drinking.

Nearby in Pigeon Forge

• The Old Mill Creamery. The ice cream counter whose flavors inspired the distillery cream liqueur line, a few steps away.
• The Old Mill Restaurant. Southern plates served family style in the anchor restaurant of the square.
• The Old Mill Pottery House Cafe & Grill. A quieter sit-down option in the same cluster, with a lighter menu than its sister restaurant.
• Mama’s Farmhouse. All-you-can-eat Southern cooking passed around the table in bowls.
• Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que. Hickory-smoked ribs and a soup and salad bar, a short drive north.

Explore More

My Smoky Mountain Guide Pigeon Forge is a great resource for finding places to eat and things to do.

• Pigeon Forge Food & Beverage Guide. Restaurants, dinner shows, breweries, distilleries, and eateries throughout Pigeon Forge, from sit-down meals to grab-and-go stops.
• Pigeon Forge Outdoor Adventure. Mountain coasters, UTV rentals, rafting, helicopter tours, and other ways to experience the Smokies from outdoors.
• Pigeon Forge Attractions. Museums, escape rooms, mini-golf, arcades, and other family-friendly stops across the city.
• Pigeon Forge Entertainment. Dinner shows, live music, comedy, magic, and theater experiences throughout Pigeon Forge.