Pictured L-R: Friends of the Smokies CEO Tim Chandler, Ole Smoky Distillery Marketing Director Michael Simonis and CEO Robert Hall, GSMNP Superintendent Cassius Cash

KODAK, TN – Friends of the Smokies, an official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, received a $50,000 donation from Ole Smoky Distillery from the sale of their signature Friends Blackberry Moonshine.

“This generous donation will go a long way in supporting the work we do at Friends to preserve and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” said Friends of the Smokies CEO Tim Chandler. “The park will be able to use these funds for their most pressing needs, which includes efforts to preserve and protect the park’s natural and historic resources as visitation continues to rise.”

OIe Smoky Distillery began selling its signature Friends Blackberry Moonshine last year, raising a total of $85,000 for Friends of the Smokies. It can be purchased at Ole Smoky’s distilleries in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Nashville.

“Ole Smoky takes its environmental and social responsibility very seriously and is pleased to partner with the Friends of the Smokies to preserve the environment in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and simultaneously help the communities near the park, who serve the many visitors to our area,” said Robert Hall, CEO, Ole Smoky Distillery.

About Friends of the Smokies
Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park assists the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by raising funds and public awareness, and providing volunteers for needed projects. The nonprofit 501(c)3 has raised over $75 million to support park programs and maintain the Smokies as a crown jewel of the National Park Service. For more information, visit FriendsoftheSmokies.org.

About Ole Smoky® Distillery LLC
Ole Smoky is one of the fastest growing spirits companies in the US and is the leading distiller of premium moonshine in the world, the leading craft distiller in the U.S. and the first federally licensed distillery in the history of East Tennessee. Founded in 2010, Ole Smoky’s roots are traced to the Smoky Mountains’ earliest settlers, families who produced moonshine with enduring pride and Appalachian spirit. Ole Smoky Distillery has been recognized for two consecutive years on the notable Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies.

Today, Ole Smoky retails in all 50 states and over 20 countries around the world and offers more than 25 creative moonshine flavors and 17 inventive whiskey flavors. Ole Smoky can be found in liquor stores nationwide, as well as at the company’s four famed distilleries in Tennessee, The Holler and The Barrelhouse in Gatlinburg, The Barn in Pigeon Forge, and 6th & Peabody in Nashville. For more information, please visit olesmoky.com and follow Ole Smoky on social media @olesmoky.