Nashville’s New Festival for You and Your Pup: Whiskey & Wags
More than 20 Tennessee distilleries, live music, local food vendors and a historic Nashville mansion… and yes, your dog is invited! Whiskey & Wags is bringing together the best of the state’s spirits scene with pet-friendly fun on the lawn at Two Rivers Mansion this March. Image: Tennessee Whiskey Trail
On any given Saturday in Nashville, you can find someone debating small-batch bourbon versus Tennessee whiskey with the seriousness of a Supreme Court hearing. Add a golden retriever to the mix, and suddenly the stakes feel … fluffier.
Enter Whiskey & Wags, a brand-new, dog-friendly whiskey festival landing at Nashville’s storied Two Rivers Mansion on Saturday, March 28. It’s your chance to sip exceptional Tennessee spirits while your pup socializes on a historic lawn that has seen more than its fair share of Southern soirées.
Hosted by Friends of Two Rivers in partnership with the Tennessee Distillers Guild and the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, the inaugural event blends three of Nashville’s favorite things: whiskey, live music, and dogs who behave better in public than most adults.
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., guests 21 and over can sample pours from more than 20 Tennessee distilleries stationed across the mansion grounds. The lineup reads like a love letter to the state’s spirits scene, featuring names like Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, Chattanooga Whiskey, Ole Smoky Distillery, Company Distilling, and Old Glory Distilling Co., among many others.
General admission tickets include whiskey samples and guided tours of the mansion itself, which means you can absorb some 19th-century architecture between tastings and casually say things like, “I do detect notes of caramel and char” while your dog befriends a dachshund named Biscuit.
If you’re feeling a little extra, the VIP experience offers more intimate time with master distillers, access to limited-batch releases, specialty cocktails, and light bites inside the mansion. It is whiskey education with elegance. Quantities are limited, which only adds a dash of urgency to the whole affair.
Beyond the barrels and bottlings, Whiskey & Wags also features live music, local food vendors, and pet-friendly activities. Lawn chairs are encouraged, which suggests a delightful vision of attendees settling into the grass with a tasting glass in one hand and a leash in the other. Rain or shine, the event goes on. So if the skies open up, consider it atmospheric ambiance for your bourbon.
The setting is part of the charm. Two Rivers Mansion, with its grand columns and sweeping lawns, feels like the kind of place that demands a proper hat and good manners. Fortunately, Nashville has both in ample supply.
The timing could not be more fitting. Nashville’s whiskey culture has never been stronger, and the appetite for pet-friendly events continues to grow. Whiskey & Wags neatly taps into both trends, offering a lifestyle experience that feels distinctly Tennessee: spirited, social, and just a little indulgent.
So whether you are a seasoned whiskey devotee, a curious sipper, or simply someone who believes life is better with a dog at your side, March 28 might be your new favorite date on the calendar. Polished glasses, historic grounds, and a chorus of happy barks. Nashville has done many things well over the years, but pairing fine whiskey with four-legged charm may be one of its most inspired combinations yet.
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Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.