11: Wine, Shine & Cider

East Tennessee has a long history of producing moonshine. Until recently, it was distilled in illicit stills (illicit because they refused to pay the tax) in hidden coves of the Appalachian Mountains. In 2009,  the Tennessee state legislature passed a law legalizing moonshine in Tennessee. Soon after, in early 2010, Ole Smoky Moonshine of Gatlinburg became the first legal distiller of moonshine in the state.

While the area is known, correctly, for family fun, the elephant in the room is that a new version of an old industry has burst onto the scene. Marc and Ann visited more than twenty establishments in Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Wears Valley, and Townsend to see what all the hubbub is about. These twenty are just representative of the many distilleries, wineries, and hard cider producers in the Smoky Mountains.

Below is a list of the establishments we visited. Some have more than one location. You must be at least 21 years of age to enter these websites:

• • My Smoky Mountain Guide
  • Ole Smoky Moonshine
  • Junction 35 Spirits
  • Smith Creek Moonshine
  • Tennessee Shine Co
  • Tennessee Homemade Wines
  • Shine Girl
  • Cades Cove Cellars (Marc’s favorite winery to date. “I haven’t visited them all!”)
  • Company Distilling
  • Old Mill Distillery
  • Bootleggers Homemade Wine
  • Elkmont Winery
  • Gatlinburg Winery
  • Smokin Banjo
  • Sugarlands Distilling Company
  • Tennessee Cider Company
  • Tennessee Stud Cider Co