Best Wineries and Distilleries in Gatlinburg, TN
Gatlinburg, Tennessee is the place to go for a girl’s weekend or bachelorette party. Along Parkway street there are over a dozen different wineries and distilleries offering “free tastings.” So if you are anything like my friends and me, Gatlinburg is the best place to get drunk for free.
At most of the distilleries, each person is allowed 3 samples of a chosen wine or moonshine. Each sample comes in the cups churches use for communion, but instead of grape juice its real wine. Some shops allowed a few extra samples if their manager wasn’t looking and others had a strict no extra shots policy.
With each winery and distillery having their unique traits, I decided to have my friends vote on their favorites.
Best Distilleries
Ole Smoky Moonshine
Ole Smoky Moonshine won by a landslide with winning 80% of the group’s vote. In the distillery, there were so many cute souvenirs like mugs, t-shirts, shot glasses, and of course bottles of moonshine.
- Favorite flavors of the group
- Mountain Java (50%)
- “Add a little kick to any coffee with our coffee-flavored Ole Smoky® Mountain Java. Accented with notes of vanilla, it’ll perk up a plain ole cup ‘o Joe.” -Ole Smoky Moonshine said it best. The only downside is this liquor is only 35 proof, but if you’re looking to add it to your morning coffee, then it might be perfect.
- Salted Caramel Whiskey (50%)
- This whiskey is definitely my favorite. If you love caramel like me, then this whiskey is for you. The best part is this liquid caramel whiskey is 60 proof and can turn any drink or frappuccino into a fun time.
- Mountain Java (50%)
- Favorite flavors of the group
Sugarlands Distilling Co.
Sugarlands Distillery came in second with winning 20% of the vote. This distillery was very similar to Ole Smoky, but with different flavors of moonshine.
- Favorite Flavors of the group
- Pumpkin Spice (70%)
- So when a group of 8 white girls walks into a distillery at the beginning of fall with Pumpkin Spice moonshine, you have to understand that they might lose their minds. Well, that’s what happened. This moonshine is 40 proof and tastes like heaven. We mixed this moonshine with a vanilla milkshake from McD’s and dear lord it was so delightful.
- Peppermint (15%)
- Obviously, it is hard to compete with pumpkin spice in the fall, however, this peppermint moonshine would have been my favorite if I did not try the pumpkin spice. With this moonshine being 100 proof and tasting (dare I say it) better than Rumple Minze, I absolutely loved this flavor.
- Blackberry (15%)
- Tied with peppermint, blackberry moonshine would go well with any summer drink like ice tea or lemonade. The moonshine is 40 proof so just enough to keep the party going at a steady level. Definitely a great summer moonshine.
- Pumpkin Spice (70%)
Best Wineries
Gatlinburg Wine Cellar
Gatlinburg Wine Cellar almost tied winning 55% of the group’s vote.
- Favorite wines of the group
- Birthday Cake Wine (50%)
- This wine was definitely unique. With hints of vanilla and sweet grapes, this wine takes the cake on the best overall flavor.
- Honeymoon Bears Diamond Sweet (25%)
- This wine is for any Moscato lover. I have never tasted anything quite like it, and as a fan of dry red wine, I have to say this one did win me over.
- Midnight Blackberry & Blueberry (25%)
- With hints of blueberry and blackberry, this wine was my favorite. Overall, the wine was sweet, but not too sweet, and had amazing flavor.
- Birthday Cake Wine (50%)
Bootleggers Homemade Wine
Bootleggers winery won 45% of the group’s vote. The winery is located right next to Ole Smoky’s and has a wide variety of wines and ciders.
- Favorite wines of the group
- Mango Cider (50%)
- As a huge cider lover, the mango cider was my favorite. It had just the right amount of the mango taste and cider fizz.
- Strawberry wine (25%)
- Strawberry wine is definitely a southern staple. This wine in particular was very light and fun with the right amount of strawberry zing.
- Peach wine (25%)
- This medium bodied wine was my second favorite. Imagine drinking the chilled wine on a hot summer day by the pool.
- Mango Cider (50%)
- Favorite wines of the group
