Ole Smoky Teams Up With Retired NFL Star Jason Kelce In Fall Marketing Push

Ole Smoky Distillery, the Gatlinburg, Tennessee moonshine and whiskey distiller, has partnered with retired Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce for “Raise the Jar,” the distillery’s fall and football season marketing campaign. Centered around Kelce as the company’s team captain and showing off simple cocktails made using Ole Smoky’s Moonshines, “Raise the Jar” will feature video ads with Kelce, supplemented with point-of-sale material, social posts, and print ads. The campaign kicks off during a period of sustained growth for Ole Smoky. Last year, the distillery’s portfolio reached 1.25 million cases with Ole Smoky scoring one “Hot Brand” and three “Hot Prospect” awards this year for Ole Smoky Tennessee Whiskey and three moonshine releases, respectively. “Our wholesale business continues to grow across the country,” says Robert Hall, CEO. “At the moment, growth is being driven by our whiskey portfolio.”

The Kelce-centered campaign builds off the athlete’s investment in Ole Smoky as part of the athlete-focused private equity firm Patricof Co. The firm, including Kelce, made their first investment in the distillery in 2022. “All the athletes want to help us grow the brand over the long term. So when we talked to Jason, he was very happy to work with us and collaborate on a campaign,” says Hall. “We got some video at our distillery in Nashville a little while ago, and we’re going to be showing that on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as well as in print.”

According to Hall, “Raise the Jar” showcases Kelce’s favorite moonshines as he steps into the role of Ole Smoky’s team captain. The cocktails use Ole Smoky’s Apple Pie Moonshine, Hunch Punch Moonshine, Blackberry Moonshine, and White Lightnin’ Moonshine mixed with accessible ingredients like ginger ale, lemon-lime soda, or lemonade.

With Ole Smoky’s “Hot Brand” winning Tennessee whiskies reaching nearly 400,000 cases last year and Ole Smoky’s “Hot Prospect” winning Banana Pudding Cream, Moonshine Mini’s, and White Chocolate Strawberry Cream at 108,000, 103,000, and 85,000 cases, the distillery is finding success on multiple fronts. “We’re holding an 80% share of the moonshine category, which says we have a strong leadership position there and we’re gaining that 80% while growing our other products,” says Hall. He adds that Mint Chocolate Chip Cream and Blackberry whiskey are new growth engines for the company.

As the company expands on the national stage, Ole Smoky continues to seed growth through its tourism-focused distillery and stores. “We get 5 million people through our stores. Many of them taste our products and they tell us do they like them, do they not? We know very quickly whether a product is going to do well by that consumer reaction,” he says. “We can introduce these products, and then we launch the successful ones in wholesale.”

Looking to the store exclusives releases, Hall points to Rocky Road Cream Whiskey and Moonshine Mandarins as two rising stars in Ole Smoky’s stores. “This whole system has allowed the company to grow very quickly,” says Hall.—Shane English

Tagged : Ole Smoky

GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2025 ESTIMATES AND 2030 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2025 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.