Historie

Old Forge Distillery is located in Pigeon Forge at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, near the historic Old Mill. They are producers of moonshines, gin, cream liqueurs, bourbon whiskey and other premium craft-distilled spirits. The distillery describes itself as family-friendly and offers stills in action, tastings in their lounge and veranda, and a bottle shop where you can purchase the products.

According to Head Distiller Keener Shanton, distillation began as a hobby in a college chemistry laboratory. He previously worked as a firefighter, and he joined Old Forge shortly after the doors opened in 2014. Keener is described as innovative and meticulous and has been central in developing unique spirits from grain to glass.

Produktion

Old Forge focuses on handcrafted spirits based on stone-ground grains and fresh water from the Smoky Mountains. The production environment is characterized by limited automation and space constraints, which drives innovation and reconfiguration of equipment to be able to produce different types of spirits.

Their 1830s Original Moonshine line is based on Tennessee corn and produced in their own facility. They use Tennessee corn from Batey Farms in Murfreesboro for the 1830s line. In addition, Harvest Gin is produced by fermenting local muscadine grapes and aging the distillate in Tennessee white oak barrels for a smooth and sweet finish.

After distillation, spent grain is recycled: a portion goes to Old Mill and Pottery House Café/Restaurants for their homemade spent grain bread, and a large portion is sent on to local farmers as livestock feed. This underscores a strong focus on sustainability and local roots.

Produkter / Whisky-serien

• Moonshine: 1830 Original Distiller's Blend (100 proof), 1830 Original Maltster's Blend (100 proof), 1830 Original Miller's Blend (100 proof), 1830 Original Unaged Corn (100 proof), as well as a range of 60-proof flavor variants such as Apple Pie, French Toast and Coffee. Rocky Top Corn Whiskey is also mentioned as a high-proof grain whiskey.
• Bourbon Whiskey: Iron Mountain Blended Bourbon Whiskey, Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Blended Bourbon Whiskey and Cyclone Jim Straight Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey. Flux Cane & Maple Small Batch Spirit is mentioned as an associated signature spirit outside the bourbon line.

Thus, the core of the whiskey offering is therefore a blend of bourbon-related products and grain-based moonshines (Rocky Top Corn Whiskey), where grain and Tennessee sourcing play a central role.

Besøg / Oplevelser

Old Forge Distillery is located at 170 Old Mill Ave, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863. Free moonshine tastings are offered, accompanied by spirit guides, cocktails in the cocktail lounge, and the opportunity to shop in the bottle shop. The place is described as family-friendly, and guests can see the stills in action and have an engaging experience with the products.

Filosofi

Sustainability is a central part of Old Forge and Head Distiller Keener Shanton. The goal is to produce more co-products than by-products and to reduce waste in the distillation process. Spent grains are recycled and delivered to local farms and for the production of dog treats. There is an emphasis on Tennessee agriculture: the 1830s Original Moonshine line is fully based on Tennessee corn from Batey Farms, and the water comes from Old Mill.