GATLINBURG, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ole Smoky Distilleries were once again the most visited distilleries in the world in 2019. According to on-premise traffic counters, Ole Smoky’s four Tennessee distilleries welcomed 4.5 million visitors in 2019, up from last year’s 4.1 million. Ole Smoky Distilleries craft both moonshine and whiskeys and feature tastings for visitors every day of the week.
Ole Smoky’s The Holler in Gatlinburg welcomed 2.1 million visitors, The Barrelhouse in Gatlinburg welcomed nearly 1.1 million, Pigeon Forge’s distillery, The Barn, welcomed 1.1 million, and the company's newest distillery in Nashville, 6th & Peabody, which opened last fall, welcomed over 200,000 visitors.
"2019 was a growth year for our brand and our distilleries. We continue to introduce innovative and appetizing new products and opened an impressive 30,000 square-foot entertainment complex and distillery in the heart of Music City, Nashville. Now with four locations, we provided memorable ‘see it made’ distillery experiences to 4.5 million visitors last year. From the quality and variety of our moonshine and whiskey products, to our attractive merchandise and live music, distillery tastings and tours, our visitors experience the full spectrum of our Ole Smoky brand," explains Robert Hall, CEO of Ole Smoky Distillery LLC.
By comparison, Ole Smoky entertains more than twice as many guests as all of Scotland's distilleries combined. According to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), Scotland's 68 whiskey distilleries saw 2 million visitors in 2018. Ole Smoky's 4.5 million visitors is over three times the 1.4 million people who visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail's 17 distilleries in 2018.
Each Ole Smoky distillery location includes working stills and fermentation tanks and an expansive visitor experience, including self-guided tours, tastings, live music, and large retail shops featuring Ole Smoky moonshine, whiskey, apparel, accessories and food.
Named the largest craft distiller in the U.S. by the IWSR, Ole Smoky Moonshine is also the No. 1 selling moonshine brand in the world and Nielsen indicates that Ole Smoky’s market share is more than three times that of its nearest competitor. In 2019, Ole Smoky introduced more than 20 exciting new varieties of moonshine and whiskey across its distilleries including the incredibly popular Moonshine Pickles. The company begins the new year with plans for even more exciting new products and eyebrow raising flavors that are sure to attract even more visitors in 2020.
About Ole Smoky® Distillery LLC:
Ole Smoky is the leading distiller of premium moonshine in the world and the first federally licensed distillery in the history of East Tennessee. Founded in 2010, Ole Smoky's roots can be traced to the Smoky Mountains' earliest settlers, families who produced moonshine with enduring pride and Appalachian spirit.
In 2009, Tennessee laws changed, and suddenly, it was legal to make, distill and sell the infamous and illicit moonshine the region had become known for — and Ole Smoky was born, with products crafted from a century-old recipe. In 2016, Ole Smoky debuted its line of premium whiskeys, many of which have been launched nationally.
Today, Ole Smoky retails globally and offers more than 25 creative moonshine flavors and 17 inventive whiskey flavors. Ole Smoky can be found at the company's distilleries, online, in grocery and liquor stores nationwide, as well as in on-premise establishments, including some of the biggest music and sporting venues in the country. The Ole Smoky product line also includes a wide array of branded apparel, gifts, accessories, plus whiskey- and moonshine-flavored food items, including barbecue sauces, hot sauces and dips.
Ole Smoky distilleries are the most visited in the world. Each year, more than 4.5 million people visit Ole Smoky's four famed Tennessee distilleries: The Holler, The Barrelhouse, The Barn and 6th & Peabody in Nashville.
For more information, please visit www.olesmoky.com and follow Ole Smoky on social media @olesmoky or visit: www.olesmoky.com.
