Old Tennessee Distilling

What Old Tennessee Distilling does

Old Tennessee Distilling Company is a privately held, family-owned craft distillery founded in 2014 (originally as Thunder Road Distillery, rebranded in 2019) and operating as Thunder Road Brands, LLC. from a single facility at 3605 Outdoor Sportsman Pl, Kodak, Tennessee. The company produces small-batch spirits using a farm-to-bottle approach, sourcing heirloom corn grown locally in East Tennessee alongside traditional ingredients (sugar, yeast, water), and applies fermentation, distillation, and aging processes under Head Distiller Dwight Bearden, a fourth-generation distiller with over 50 years of experience.

The product portfolio spans moonshine (traditional and 15+ flavored varieties), whiskey and bourbon (including the flagship five-year Sid's Select Butcher's Bourbon), gin, vodka, rum (including Cal F. Johnson and Black Mountain lines), apple brandy, cream liqueurs, and infused fruits, organized under multiple sub-brands such as Dumplin Creek, Sid's Select, Cal F. Johnson, Black Mountain, and Tail of the Dragon. The portfolio has earned industry recognition including a SIP Platinum award for Watermelon Falls Moonshine and ADI International Best of Class 2023 for Lemon Ice Cookie Cream Liqueur.

The business operates almost exclusively through direct-to-consumer channels at its Kodak distillery, monetizing on-site tastings (free, used as customer acquisition), $5 on-premise cocktails, bottle sales, and merchandise. The company participates in the Tennessee Whiskey Trail—a network of roughly 30 state distilleries—and relies on tourism traffic from the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville corridor. Customer segments are tourist visitors, local repeat customers, and event/gift purchasers, with no meaningful wholesale or e-commerce distribution disclosed.

Name

Old Tennessee Distilling

Legal name

Thunder Road Brands, LLC.

Website

https://oldtennesseedistillingco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Old Tennessee Distilling Company is a family-owned craft distillery in Kodak, Tennessee, producing farm-to-bottle moonshine, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, rum, and cream liqueurs from locally-grown heirloom corn and selling them directly to tourists visiting the Great Smoky Mountains region through its on-site tasting room and retail store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Distillery / Craft Spirits

NAICS

Distilleries (312140)

akta.pro primary industry

Distilled Spirits Production & Distilling (AFAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spirits Distilling & Brands (CRADAIAC), Distilleries (Tasting Rooms) (THAFALAG), Spirits Distillery Tours & Tastings (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Vodka) (THAJAGAF)

Keywords

• Craft distillery spirits
• Small batch moonshine
• Tennessee whiskey bourbon
• Cream liqueurs rum
• Farm to bottle distilling

Headquarters

HQ city

Kodak

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Spirits Product Sales: Direct retail sales of moonshine, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, rum, and cream liqueurs to visitors at the distillery location. Products range from traditional 100-proof moonshine to flavored variants and limited-edition releases like Sid's Select Butcher's Bourbon.
2. On-site Tastings and Cocktails: Revenue from complimentary tastings (drives product trial and purchase decisions) and $5 cocktails consumed on premises, creating immediate revenue from visitors.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise items to commemorate visits, providing additional revenue stream and brand visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Old Tennessee Distilling Company operates a family-owned craft distillery in Kodak, Tennessee, producing approximately 80 small-batch spirits including moonshine, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, rum, apple brandy, and cream liqueurs—distilled on-site from locally-grown heirloom corn rather than flavored from neutral grain spirits. The distillery retails its products directly to consumers through an on-site tasting room with free tastings, a craft cocktail bar serving $5 drinks, and merchandise sales, supplemented by private event bookings.

Product overview

Old Tennessee Distilling Company is a family-owned craft distillery producing a diverse portfolio of handcrafted spirits inspired by the rich history and traditions of East Tennessee. The product lineup includes multiple core spirit categories: moonshine (traditional and flavored varieties including fruit, dessert, and seasonal flavors), whiskey/bourbon (including the flagship Sid's Select Butcher's Bourbon aged five years), gin (Dumplin Creek Gin), vodka (Dumplin Creek Vodka), rum (Cal F. Johnson Silver Rum, Black Mountain Rum, and Spiced Rum), apple brandy, cream liqueurs (including award-winning Lemon Ice Cookie variety), and infused fruits. The company emphasizes farm-to-bottle production using locally sourced ingredients including heirloom corn grown in East Tennessee, with products distributed through their Kodak, TN distillery location with free tastings and tours available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dumplin Creek: Moonshine and spirits product line named after the Treaty of Dumplin Creek area in East Tennessee.
• Sid's Select
• Cal F. Johnson
• Black Mountain
• Tail of the Dragon

Products and services

• Old Tennessee Frost Moonshine (Traditional) The distillery's flagship traditional moonshine at 100 proof, made from local heirloom corn; foundational product of the original 2014 portfolio.
• Flavored Moonshine Line A multi-flavor moonshine line including Watermelon Falls, Coffee, Summer Strawberry, S'mores, Pumpkin Patch, Red Haven Peach, Chocolate Merriment, Autumn Maple, Toasted Mango, Little River Lemon, Orange Dreamsicle, Caramel, Bonfire Cinnamon, Bananashine, Blackberry Bramble, Apple Pie, 140.7 Proof, Tangerine, Pineapple, and Mandarin Orange varieties.
• Sid's Select Butcher's Bourbon A limited-availability aged bourbon honoring co-founder Sid Blalock; aged in-house and offered for limited tastings.
• Tennessee Whiskey and Corn Whiskey Line Unaged Tennessee whiskey (100 proof) and 80-proof corn whiskey, plus the 2021-launched Moonshine Whiskey; served as the unaged whiskey counterpart to the company's bourbons.
• Flavored Whiskey Line (80 proof) An 80-proof flavored whiskey family including Dark Chocolate Almond Wafer, Chocolate Caramel, Blueberry Muffin, Banana Coffee, Peanut Butter, and Peach & Habanero variants.
• Dumplin Creek Gin A craft gin named after the local Dumplin Creek area, distilled in-house at the Kodak facility.
• Dumplin Creek Vodka A craft vodka named after the local Dumplin Creek area, distilled in-house at the Kodak facility.
• Black Mountain and Cal F. Johnson Rum Line A craft rum family including Cal F. Johnson Silver Rum, Coconut Rum, Black Mountain Rum, and Black Mountain Spiced Rum.
• Tennessee Apple Brandy A craft Tennessee apple brandy distilled in-house, sold as part of the distillery's broad spirit portfolio.
• Cream Liqueur Line A cream liqueur family including Holiday Eggnog, Cotton Candy, Lemon Ice Cookie, Blueberry, Butterscotch, Butter Pecan, Chocolate Delight, Creme Brulee, and Cinnamon Roll variants.
• Infused Fruits (Frost Cherries and Bourbon Cherries) Fruit-infusion products including Frost Cherries (cherries-from-the-freezer novelty item) and Bourbon Cherries, sold alongside the company's spirits portfolio.
• Variety Packs Multi-flavor bundled packs of the company's moonshine line, sold as gift-friendly assortments in the distillery tasting room.
• On-Site Craft Cocktails ($5) $5 craft cocktails prepared on-site from the distillery's own spirits, served during the distillery's tasting-room hours (Mon-Thu 10am-9pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 10am-7pm).
• Private Event Hosting Booking of the distillery as a private-event venue for birthdays, corporate events, weddings, rehearsal dinners, and class reunions, paired with in-house cocktail service and bottle sales.
• Distillery Merchandise Branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, shirts, and flasks retailed on-site at the distillery tasting room.

Quantifiable outcome

• Moonshine and spirits made from heirloom corn grown locally in East Tennessee
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tennessee Whiskey TrailcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Old Tennessee Distilling Company is an active participant in the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, a regional initiative launched in 2017 comprising approximately 30 distilleries across the state. This tour allows visitors to experience the history and tradition of Tennessee whiskey, rum, gin, vodka and moonshine. The partnership provides cross-promotional visibility and positions the company within a recognized regional spirits tourism ecosystem.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Popcorn Sutton Distillery: Tennessee moonshine distillery based in Cocke County, producing traditional and flavored moonshines and whiskey. Directly comparable craft producer in the same moonshine category with DTC and regional distribution overlap.
• Corsair Distillery: Tennessee-based craft distillery producing whiskey, gin, vodka, and rum with multiple taproom locations. Comparable craft operator with overlapping spirit categories and a tasting-room/DTC emphasis.
• Old Forge Distillery: Tennessee craft distillery producing bourbon, whiskey, and moonshine with on-site tasting. Comparable East Tennessee operator on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail with a similar tasting-room-led DTC model.
• Short Mountain Distillery: Tennessee farm-to-bottle craft distillery producing whiskey, moonshine, vodka, gin, and rum from local grain. Closely comparable craft producer emphasizing local sourcing and on-site tastings.
• Sugarlands Distilling Company: Gatlinburg-based craft distillery producing moonshine, flavored whiskey, and cream liqueurs. Head-to-head competitor in the same Smoky Mountains tourism corridor with overlapping product categories including flavored moonshines and souvenir bottle lines.
• Prichard's Distillery: Tennessee craft distillery producing rum, whiskey, vodka, and brandy. Comparable small-batch craft operator with on-site tastings and a regional distribution footprint similar in scale to Old Tennessee Distilling.
• Tennessee Shine Co. (Davy Crockett's): Tennessee craft moonshine and whiskey producer operating in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge tourist corridor. Competes directly for the same tourist and gift-purchaser segments with similar flavored moonshine assortments.
• Ole Smoky Distillery: The largest craft moonshine and whiskey distillery in Tennessee, headquartered in Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Directly competes with Old Tennessee Distilling for the same Smoky Mountains tourist visitor base across moonshine, flavored whiskey, and cream liqueur categories.

Broad incumbents

• George Dickel: Major Tennessee whiskey brand owned by Diageo, produced in Cascade Hollow. Provides the broader Tennessee whiskey reference point for category positioning and pricing relative to craft peers like Old Tennessee Distilling.
• Jack Daniel's: Largest Tennessee whiskey producer globally, owned by Brown-Forman. Sets the category standards (Lincoln County Process) for Tennessee whiskey that Old Tennessee Distilling's whiskey and bourbon offerings must be evaluated against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OldTNDistilling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dumplin-creek-distillery-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Old Tennessee Distilling