GATLINBURG, Tenn. (PRWEB) March 07, 2019
Ole Smoky®, the world’s most awarded moonshine company, has been named a 2018 Impact Hot Brand by M. Shanken Communications, a leading publisher in the U.S. Wine & Spirits industry known for such magazines as Wine Spectator, Impact, Market Watch, Food Arts, and Cigar Aficionado.
“It is a huge honor to receive this award,” says Robert Hall, CEO of Ole Smoky. “We are all aiming to build a world class spirits business, and this award is recognition of all of our efforts. We are proud of what we have accomplished to date, pleasing so many consumers with our great products…raising spirits with great spirits…and will continue working for even greater success in the future.”
The Hot Brand Award is given to both established and upcoming brands that have reached a minimum depletion number of 200,000 cases, and whose volume has grown at least 10% in each of the past three calendar years or at least 15% in 2018.
This award comes at a very exciting time for Ole Smoky. The company is not just growing its moonshine sales, but taking the brand to the next level with the recent highly successful national launch of its whiskey product line. Both Salty Caramel and Mango Habanero flavors have grown very rapidly and will be joined by a very high quality Blended product and a ground breaking Salty Watermelon flavor in the coming months.
Ole Smoky’s three distilleries in East Tennessee have been a source of competitive advantage to build awareness and trial of the company’s products, while educating consumers about the deep heritage and authenticity of the brand. Sales have been strongest in the states within a few hundred miles of these distilleries, but are now growing rapidly in many states further afield. This success has inspired the company to start building a 4th location in Nashville, which is targeted to open in Q2 2019, further fueling the growth of the brand.
“We are very excited to have our efforts in building such a strong brand recognized by receiving the 2018 Impact Hot Brand Award,” says Michael Bender, President of Wholesale at Ole Smoky. “Our numbers have been incredible these past few years and we are inspired to continue setting and reaching higher goals.”
Ole Smoky will receive their award at the Impact & Market Watch Hot Brand Awards Reception, held during the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) Annual Convention & Exposition in Orlando on April 1, 2019.
For more information about Ole Smoky visit http://www.olesmoky.com
About Ole Smoky® Distillery LLC:
Ole Smoky is the leading craft distiller in the U.S. and the first federally licensed distiller in the history of East Tennessee. Founded in 2010, Ole Smoky’s roots can be traced to the Smoky Mountains’ earliest settlers, families who produced moonshine with enduring pride and Appalachian spirit. In 2009, Tennessee laws changed, and suddenly, it was legal to make, distill and sell the infamous and illicit moonshine the region had become known for — and Ole Smoky was born, with products crafted from a century-old recipe. In 2016, Ole Smoky debuted its line of premium whiskeys, many of which have been launched nationally.
Today, Ole Smoky retails globally and offers more than 25 creative moonshine flavors and 17 inventive whiskey flavors. Ole Smoky can be found at the company’s distilleries, online, in grocery and liquor stores nationwide, as well as in on-premise establishments, including some of the biggest music and sporting venues in the country. Ole Smoky is the home to the most visited distillery in the world and in 2018 alone, more than four million people visited Ole Smoky’s three famed East Tennessee locations: The Holler & The Barrelhouse in Gatlinburg and The Barn in Pigeon Forge. In 2019, Ole Smoky will open a fourth location in Nashville.
For more information, please visit olesmoky.com and follow Ole Smoky on social media @olesmoky.
Shine Responsibly®
©2019 Ole Smoky Distillery, LLC. All Rights Reserved. OLE SMOKY, OLE SMOKY TENNESSEE MOONSHINE, OLE SMOKY WHISKEY, and SHINE RESPONSIBLY are registered trademarks of Ole Smoky Distillery, LLC.
Media Contact
Stephanie Warner
Ole Smoky Distillery
858.752.1345