The biggest thing that surprised me in my move to Knoxville was how much this town enjoys a good time. Whether that be in the form of sports or beer Knoxville always puts a new spin on things.

This week I headed into the Old City district of Downtown and stumbled upon Knox Whiskey Works. Just off Jackson Avenue, Knox Whiskey Works offers a cheap and educational buzz on the small batch, craft distillery process. For only $10 per person over the age of 21, the Knox Whiskey Works team will take you into their back room, where the magic happens.

On this tour of the facilities, my fantastic tour guide Colin dived into the chemistry of the whiskey making process. While I cannot regurgitate this information, it was fascinating to hear someone passionate about their job explain the process. If you needed any more incentive to support this local business, know that they do too. As they receive all of their corn from Riverplains Farm in Strawberry Plains that sends over about 250 pounds of heirloom corn a week while in season! #businesssupportingbusinesss

After your short chemistry lesson, the fun begins as each tour includes a taste testing of all 12 spirits offered. Typical of taste testings the highest proof comes first, and if you find your self to be a lightweight like me, please call an Uber or designated driver as 12 half shots of straight liquor, in under an hour can be dangerous to your equilibrium.

The 12 spirits range from Heirloom Corn Whiskey, an orange flavored vodka named Tennessee Tailgate Orange, Marble City Gin, the hint of heat DragonTail Whiskey, a Bourbon Whiskey and the favorite of my taste testing group, the Coffee Liqueur that is made from real coffee from Old City Brew just down the street.

If you haven’t been charmed enough head on over to @knoxwhiskey on Instagram. Here they post artsy photos of their beautiful bottles, along with crafty and humorous sign displays.