Justin Holeman

TN Legend

Born in February of 1989, Justin Ray Holeman grew up a child of the Smoky Mountains. Surrounded by local lore and amongst stories of Appalachian moonshiners, his career path nevertheless did not lead directly into distillation. Steeped in equal parts of curiosity and intelligence, Justin was a 2006 Presidential Scholars Program winner at nearby Gatlinburg-Pittman High School; afterwards, he took courses in biology and chemistry before earning a degree in zoology from Tennessee Technological University. Upon graduating, young Holeman then headed west to spend time working in paleontology, exploring and cataloging fossils in Montana.

During those first after-college years, Holeman also traveled widely around the United States as well as abroad, and it was during this period of expedition that he developed a keen interest in spirits, just as the modern Bourbon Renaissance of the late 2000s and early 2010s was taking root. Soon he began thinking seriously about making his own whiskey, and before long, he brought a scientist’s mindset and a traveler’s curiosity back home to East Tennessee. 

Once back in the mountains, he was able to convince his father, Jay, to support his endeavor, and in 2014 associates Jay R. Holeman, Stephen Boesch, and Richard Fraser formed a partnership to operate a new venture, which they named Tennessee Legend Distillery. Jay R formed Crystal Falls Spirits, LLC as a conduit for the business and Justin was quickly named Head Distiller. At that time, Tennessee Legend concentrated principally on flavored Tennessee moonshine, which, at that time had become exceedingly popular with travelers. Namely, Tennessee Legend’s Peanut Butter Cup moonshine, as well as Salted Caramel whiskey were a huge hit for the small distillery at the mouth of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Brimming with success, in 2017, a second Sevierville address soon followed, with later expansion into two other Tennessee cities.

By the time the first distillery was up and running in Sevierville, Holeman had fully committed himself to distilling. Entirely self-taught, but without a direct family connection to the art as many distillers enjoy, Justin read widely, talked extensively with other distillers, and experimented tirelessly on his new equipment. Marketing director Kyle Tarwater, who went to high school with Holeman and who has worked with him ever since, has described how the Tennessee Legend team at that time “learned as we went along and just played around with it to see what works and what doesn’t.” But Holeman always led the production side, using his scientific background and rapidly but keenly developed senses to give final the final nod.

At that time, as Head Distiller, Holeman also shepherded Tennessee Legend toward a move from a focus on unflavored spirits and moonshines into a broader portfolio that included aged whiskeys. Soon, one of the distillery’s most popular spirits, Honey Barrel expression, was launched. Since that time, Tennessee Legend Distillery has released several other award-winning whiskies and bourbons, including Kingsnake and Assassin’s Creed.

Meanwhile, on May 26, 2018, Justin married his longtime girlfriend, Hannah Nash. To celebrate the event, a cream liqueur in the Tennessee Legend line called ‘Wedding Bells,’ was specially crafted. The spirit, said to taste like “Wedding cake with a kick,” has become one of the spirit maker’s most popular items, and is now a permanent offering at the distillery.

Today, in the quiet moments, when the stills settle and the last visitors drift out into the twilight, Holeman thinks about the strange, winding path that brought him here, from dust-covered dinosaur graveyards to a place where barrels breathe rhythmically but silently in the East Tennessee air. What once might have felt like a wild detour has become a kind of homecoming, not just for him, but for friends and family who believed in him before the first drop of whiskey ever ran. Each bottle now carries a little piece of that journey, of stubborn hope, of roots reclaimed, of the courage to start over. And as his distilleries hum with life, he sees the thing he always hoped for but never said out loud: his community rising right along with him. The local kid who left, wandered a bit, and finally came back home in every sense of the word.

Sources:

  1. Livability, “Food and Beverage…Pouring Out of Tennessee”, Cary Estes, May 3, 2019

  2. Tennessee Smokies Visitor’s Guide, “In Good Spirits”, Emily Mook, tennessee.smokies.guide

  3. Chattanooga Pulse – “The Tennessee Whiskey Trail”, Jason Tinney,  November 28, 2018, chattanoogapulse.com

  4. TN Vacation, “Eating and Drinking…Tennessee” ,  Melissa Corbin, October 14, 2025

  5. Barrel Room Chronicles podcast, S4 E6, “Barrel-Aged Dreams…” June 16, 2025

Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview, Tennessee