How the Tennessee Whiskey Trail contributes billions to the Nashville, Tennessee economy

Tennessee whiskey is much more than a single brand.

The Tennessee Whiskey Trail, which encompasses nearly 30 distillery brands — some with multiple locations, and more than 40 destinations across 500 miles, has become a major tourist draw.

From the Tasting Bar at Nashville Barrel Co. to Bootleggers and Old Dominick distilleries, flavors vary as widely as the experiences in the state's storied spirits industry.

A tourism impact study commissioned by the Trail — founded by the Tennessee Distillers Guild in 2017 — found that, in 2022, visitors made approximately eight million visits to distilleries and related businesses.

A $3.45 billion economic impact in 2022

Tourists spent $2.05 billion at distilleries and off-site establishments in 2022. Here's how that broke down throughout the state:

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• Transportation: $194.7 million
• Entertainment: $303.6 million
• Retail: $387.3 million
• Food and beverage: $487 million
• Lodging: $676.6 million

That spending led to $3.45 billion in economic impact for the state, supporting 30,000 jobs and $441.1 million in total tax revenue.

The majority of the visitation in 2022 was centered in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville market (2,669,787 visitors) and the Nashville area (1,891,684 visitors). Spending in those major markets that year totaled $550,620,000 and $524,260,000 respectively.

More about the Tennesee Whiskey Trail at www.tnwhiskeytrail.com.

Source: Tourism Economics for the Tennessee Whiskey Trail.