Tennessee Hills Distillery to expand operations to Bristol

Tennessee Hills Distillery officials announced the company will invest $21.3 million to expand in Northeast Tennessee by adding a Bristol location to serve as the company’s new headquarters. The new location will join Tennessee Hills Distillery’s two existing operations in Jonesborough and Johnson City. Through the project, Tennessee Hills Distillery will create 45 new jobs over the next five years as the company constructs an automated distillery, which will be housed in the company’s new headquarters on nearly nine acres off Highway 11 West.  The distillery’s new headquarters will not only specialize in highly automated distilling and packaging but will also house a museum highlighting the history of Tennessee whiskey, NASCAR, music and the distilling process. Once complete, the 35,000-square-foot facility is anticipated to be the fourth largest automated plant in Tennessee. Founded in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and a subsidiary of Rugged American Spirits, Tennessee Hills Distillery, has been part of the Sullivan and Washington County communities since 2014. The company is well-known for establishing its first distillery in a historic salt house in Tennessee’s oldest town and for partnering with East Tennessee State University to build a brewing and distillation sciences program. With the addition of 45 new jobs in Bristol, the distillery will more than double its employee headcount in Northeast Tennessee.