Authored By Staff Report

The Tennessee Whiskey Festival will be held at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo for the first time on Saturday, but guests can get a sneak peek sampler at a special whiskey supper event on Friday evening. Chef Erik Niel of Easy Bistro & Bar and Main Street Meats will prepare "a perfectly paired and intimate dining experience to highlight a selection of fine whiskies from George Dickel distillery." Like the Tennessee Whiskey Festival, proceeds from a silent auction during the supper will benefit the Hart Gallery. Tickets are $150 and can be purchased here. A separate ticket is required for the supper. A dessert course presented by Clumpies Ice Cream Co. The Tennessee Whiskey Festival Organizers created the festival “to showcase the state’s craft spirits and the people who produce them.” A benefit for the Hart Gallery, the festival combines craft whiskey tastings, live music and a judged wing competition featuring local restaurants. The festival will include over 40 whiskey tasting booths, featuring not only Tennessee whiskeys but bourbons, ryes and whiskeys from around the world. General admission is $25 and includes wings, a full cash bar and access to food vendors. An Advance VIP Whiskey Lover pass is available for $125.00. Guests receive VIP treatment with a full bar and food, VIP staging, parking and more. Hart Gallery is a nonprofit that uses "art as therapy and means of providing the homeless and others an opportunity atself-expression as a means to build self-worth"