Tennessee Whiskey Festival ready to pour

A participant gets a sample of Ole Smokey Moonshine at a previous Tennessee Whiskey Festival.

The Hart Gallery will celebrate their favorite spirits, along with those of another 21 distillers, at the Tennessee Whiskey Festival. The fourth annual event is set for Saturday, May 21, at First Tennessee Pavilion.

"We created the Tennessee Whiskey Festival with a passion to showcase our state's craft spirits and the people who produce them," event organizers say on the website. "It's the perfect opportunity to sample the best whiskey offered in Tennessee as well as other craft distilled products available in the area."

Tickets are available at three levels, topping out at $125 for the VIP Whiskey Lover Pass. This ticket grants the bearer a passport for taking notes on the various brands, a souvenir tasting glass, complimentary tasting of each whiskey plus better access to the music stage, a private bar with complimentary beverages, hors d'oeuvres and VIP parking.

The Whiskey Pass, $50, also comes with a whiskey passport for taking notes, a souvenir glass and complimentary tasting of each whiskey.

General admission, $25, grants entrance to the festival and a cash bar with craft beer, wine and signature cocktails.

All ticketholders get a plate of 10 wings to sample in the ESPN Wing Zone competition in which local restaurants offer their best wings for a chance to be named winner of the wing-off. Among the competitors so far are 1885 Grill, Beast + Barrel, Chatter Box Cafe, Diamond Billiards, Feed Co. Table & Tavern, Jefferson's, Mike's Hole in the Wall and Sing It or Wing It.

In addition to wings, festivalgoers can dine on specialties from Lupi's Pizza Pies, Southern Burger Co. and Monkey Town Donut Co.

Providing the soundtrack for the evening are The Black Lillies, Marlow Drive and Backwater Still.

Proceeds from the evening will go the Hart Gallery, a nonprofit organization that gives the homeless, disadvantaged and other nontraditional artists the chance to create and sell their artwork.