Squatch-A-Palooza 2024
03/16/2024 • Knoxville, Tennessee
Squatch-A-Palooza 2024 took over Drop Zone Distilling in Knoxville, Tennessee, and it basically ran all day. This wasn’t just a “come buy a jar and leave” kind of setup — it was tastings, vendors, live personalities, side shows, and a steady flow of people cycling through. We spent the day bouncing between the still room, the tasting counter, the food outside, and whatever was happening in the parking lot at that exact moment.
First stop was inside Drop Zone. Rod Parton and his crew had the place wide open and made sure everyone felt welcome. You could step right up to the stills, ask questions, and spend real time looking at the equipment. That’s rare. Most places would rope it off. Here, you’re standing a few feet from active hardware while you’re talking shine. Rod runs a tight room and you can feel the pride in how he’s built it.
Right up front, Master Distiller Bruiser from Tigershine Copper was pouring tastes and walking folks through flavors. If you had a question, he answered it. If you wanted to hear where a recipe came from, he’d tell you. No rush, no attitude. Just straight talk and good shine. We tried multiple flavors throughout the day, including the Tiger Shine lineup, and it was legit.
We also spent some time with Moonshiner Tracy Arvin of Smokey Mtn. Squatch Shine. Tracy gave us real one-on-one time, walked us through how Squatch Shine got started, and didn’t mind a half dozen questions about community, flavor, and process. He had his booth set up with product and branding built around the Squatch theme, which fit the event perfectly.
Outside, the vendors and side shows kept things moving. Clean Smoke BBQ was putting out food, and it was exactly what you want at an event like this — hot, fast, and not shy on flavor. Til Ragnarok set up axe and knife throwing, and they weren’t just there to look cool. They put real hardware in your hands and coached you through the throw. We even stress-tested one of their big axes a little too hard and snapped a handle clean through. That one’s on us. They handled it like pros and were nothing but friendly about it.
Then there was Turtleman from Call of the Wildman. Full energy the entire time. He didn’t rush anybody. He shook every hand, talked to every person who walked up, and stayed locked in with whoever he was talking to. The dude is exactly what you expect and then some. You can’t fake that kind of presence at an event. People were lined up just to get a minute with him and he gave everybody that minute.
And of course — this wouldn’t be Squatch-A-Palooza without the Squatch. The roaming Sasquatch crew was working the crowd all day, taking pictures, jumping in on jokes, and basically giving everyone free marketing photos for the rest of their lives, and Floating Squatch was riding around all day and having a great time. We got pulled into a few of those and we’re not mad about it.
One more note — we’ve seen Drop Zone on normal days, and we’ve seen it on event days. The event version is something else. Between Bruiser pouring, Tracy talking shine, Turtleman meeting people nonstop, and Til Ragnarok letting people throw live steel in the parking lot, it felt like half moonshine festival and half block party. Knoxville showed up.
Also in attendance
Big thanks to Rod Parton and the entire crew at Drop Zone Distilling for opening up the still room, keeping the tasting line moving, and giving everybody space to hang out, ask questions, and feel welcome all day long.
👕 Worn at This Event
“She Thinks My Thumper’s Sexy!” Tee
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“Keg Still Mafia” Tee
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Event took place March 16, 2024 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Original Facebook coverage for this trip was first posted on March 21, 2024. Extra photos and community comments are available on Facebook: View the original post.