Gatlinburg Nightlife: Best Beers, Moonshines and Wines

Known for mountain views and hot shopping scene, Gatlinburg also has some great places for knocking back a cold one with friends. The Gatlinburg nightlife scene has great music and restaurant options as well, but these places do a little more. They create quality products and showcase Smoky Mountain flavors. To sample the best, here are the top places for beer, moonshine and wine in Gatlinburg.

Gatlinburg Nightlife: Where to Find Beer, Wine and Shine

Visit Gatlinburg Distilleries for Spirits

If looking for moonshine in Tennessee, check out Doc Collier Moonshine Distillery. The distillery makes spirits with English Mountain Spring Water through a local partnership. The tasting list includes: its signature original recipe, a Doc Collier’s family recipe; sweet tea; firecracker, a cinnamon moonshine; and ‘shined cherries imported from Traverse City, Michigan, the cherry capital of the U.S.

Live music and signature flavors draw people to Ole Smoky Distillery, nicknamed The Holler. Visitors witness the distilling process from start to finish, and at the end, sample homemade moonshine for free. One of the most popular distilleries in the U.S., Ole Smoky uses a 100-year-old family recipe and is world renown for diverse flavors. Try the famous apple pie, blackberry, white lightnin’, lemon drop lightnin’ or watermelon.

Sugarlands Distilling Company offers live music. For a glimpse into local culture, listen to Appalachian storytelling, or take tours of the Sugarlands area located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The distillery uses water from the Smoky Mountains, and its barn house represents a long history in the area. Stronger moonshines include: silver cloud and Jim Tom Hedrick’s un-aged rye. While lighter selections are butterscotch gold and old-fashioned lemonade.

Toast at These Wineries

Owned by two sisters, Bootleggers Homemade Wine makes each bottle from hand in small batches. Additionally, the team prides itself on a simple process: There are no machines or “fancy” equipment in the kitchen. Wine tastings are free, and some selections are homegrown muscadine blush, redneck reserve dessert wine and homegrown Scuppernong, a Southern staple. Bootleggers cannot always ship wines due to demand, so visit Gatlinburg for a bottle.

Smoky Mountain Winery is east Tennessee’s oldest winery and offers free tastings of more than 20 award-winning wines. With a focus on sweeter flavors, reviewers praise this winery for friendly service, affordable prices and wines, including muscadine, brookside red and LeConte red.

Another popular Gatlinburg nightlife stop is Sugarland Cellars, located at the entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The winery is a stop on a local wine trail. A large selection features the winemaster’s specialty, hellbender; the semisweet Martha Jane Rosé, the mountain laurel; and a seasonal artist selection.

Try Beers in Gatlinburg

With locations in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountain Brewery is part of the Copper Cellar Family of Restaurants. The Gatlinburg location has a deck that overlooks Calhoun’s Village with the breathtaking Smoky Mountains in the background.

Smoky Mountain Brewery’s menus – one gluten-free, one for others – include Philly cheesesteak subs, big-city Reuben, special brewhouse burgers, Italian dishes, salads and more. Handcrafted in small batches, main-stay beers include mountain light, helles and Cherokee red ale. Other beers range from Appalachian pale ale and black bear ale to Tuckaleechee porter.

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