KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For the first time, the Southern Skies Festival will be adding the Tennessee Whiskey Experience to its lineup. It is a collaboration with the Tennessee Distillers Guild to bring the top distilleries from across the state to Knoxville.
This move comes as a study by the Tennessee Whiskey Trail mentions whiskey makes a $3.45 billion impact on the state economy.
"That is huge," said Kim Mitchell, director of tourism with Blount Partnership.
The study also said whiskey tourism and sales supported 30,000 jobs in Tennessee. It is an impact that staff at Company Distilling in Townsend have seen firsthand.
"It is a very tourist-driven community," said Hannah Sabo, the regional manager. "We get a lot of enthusiasts from Jack Daniels because their master distiller, Jeff Arnett, came from Jack Daniels and they want to see his legacy."
Tourism officials say whiskey brings around 8 million tourists to Tennessee every year. 10News visited Company Distilling, the only whiskey distillery in Townsend, on Friday and saw license plates from states like Kentucky, South Carolina and Iowa.
"Lots of people travel to the area to camp," Sabo said. "We are surrounded by campgrounds in Townsend."
Mitchell, on the other hand, explained they spend a lot of time encouraging people to visit local distilleries, not only because whiskey brings millions of dollars in tax revenue, but because it also builds connections.
"It is like bringing together your friends, having a good glass of bourbon or whiskey and just sitting around a fire and just, you know, having meaningful conversations with people," she said.
May marks Whiskey Month across Tennessee and East Tennessee in particular celebrates Whiskey Week from May 3 through May 11.