Since Gatlinburg began allowing the legal purchase on moonshine in 2010, the local distilleries have gained a famous reputation for offering free samples to visitors over the age of 21. All a visitor would have to do is show a license and they would receive numerous samples at a distillery. This free offering worked for a while until more distilleries opened, offered more free samples, and people started “abusing” it. People have increasingly been hopping between each moonshine distillery and consuming enough alcohol to get legally drunk, which has led to increased public intoxication. To counter this “abuse”, the city has imposed a $5 fee that distilleries must charge each guest in order to receive free samples. Some distilleries such as Ole Smoky Moonshine then offer a $5 credit on any purchase to help guests “even out” the new charge.
Before the new charge was officially started, the city ran a test to determine the effectiveness of it. During that test period, public intoxication charges dropped by half. Due to the positive effect, the charge was then made official and started being enforced on Monday, August 15, 2016.
Meanwhile, Pigeon Forge distilleries such as Ole Smoky Moonshine at The Island still offer samples for free.
