Ole Smoky sits in the middle of the Gatlinburg strip and operates as a working distillery, tasting room, and live music venue simultaneously. Admission is free. You walk in, get a tasting card, and work your way through their moonshine lineup — the original white corn, the charcoal-filtered varieties, and the flavored expressions that range from genuinely good (blackberry, apple pie) to festival souvenirs, depending on your palate.
The cocktail bar makes proper drinks using their house spirits. Order the mule or the old fashioned if you want something that demonstrates how far craft moonshine has come from mason jar novelty. The Tennessee whiskey is worth trying while you are there.
Most evenings a band plays on the covered porch — old-time bluegrass, country, or folk depending on the night. It creates the right atmosphere: outdoors, cold drink in hand, live music, mountains visible between the buildings. It is a better version of what most visitors imagine Gatlinburg nightlife will be.
Bottles make good gifts and travel well. The house-branded moonshine lineup is priced reasonably for what it is. Admission is free; tastings are 21+.
