Talking The Rowdy Era That Built Tennessee Hills with Cam

From Bourbon Bars to 120 Barrels a Week

Episode 3 of The Responsibly Rowdy Podcast is live.

And this one's different. This isn't about process or product. It's about the people and the chaos that built the brand before there was a brand to build.

If Episode 1 was the origin story and Episode 2 was the science, Episode 3 is the culture. The nights that ran too late. The hangovers that became legend. The moments that coined "Responsibly Rowdy" before anyone put it on a t-shirt.

Cameron Over is Tennessee Hills' Director of Customer Experience and newly appointed Sales Manager. He's the guy who's been in the trenches since the Jonesborough days, back when the tasting room was the entire operation and Stephen was still figuring out what this thing could become.

Stephen sits down with Cam to talk about how they met, what it means to build a brand from the bar up, and why 2026 is the year Tennessee Hills stops warming up and starts running.

Let's get into it.

Hired at a Bourbon Bar

Cam was working at a bourbon bar in Johnson City when Stephen walked in. They'd never met. Stephen sat down, asked about a whiskey. Cam told him about it. Stephen asked about another one. Cam told him about that one too.

"Dude, I need you to come work for me," Stephen said.

"Who the hell are you?" Cam replied.

That was five years ago.

Cam came in during the tail end of Jonesborough's wildest era–before Johnson City was built out, before Bristol was even a thought. Tennessee Hills had one location, one revenue stream, and one mission: make a name for themselves by outworking and out-experiencing everyone else.

It worked.

The Wild West of Jonesborough

If you weren't there, you missed something special.

Cam describes nights where he'd be standing on the bar at 1 AM yelling at the crowd: "If you don't work here or sleep with somebody that works here, I need you to get out. We closed three hours ago."

That wasn't a complaint. That was the culture.

The Jonesborough location was drawing massive crowds on pure energy and word-of-mouth. No corporate playbook. No marketing department. Just a crew that gave everything they had, every single night, and saw what happened.

"It was like singers going out and playing their hearts out on stage every night," Stephen says. "That place was the wild, wild west."

"Would You Rather Be Hungover Today or Tomorrow?"

Here's the story that defines the era.

It's a Sunday. Fifteen minutes before open. Cam has all the lights off, no music playing, and he's hunched over the bar trying to keep it together. He's wrecked from the night before.

Stephen walks in.

"Let's go, dude. Sunday Fun Day."

Cam tells him he doesn't know if he's going to make it.

Stephen puts out four shot glasses. Fills them all with whiskey. Looks Cam dead in the eyes.

"Would you rather be hungover today or hungover tomorrow?"

He slams two back-to-back. Cam follows.

"I guess I'd rather be hungover tomorrow," Cam says. "I got a shift to work."

That's a "Responsibly Rowdy" moment. Not a branding session. Not a consultant. A three-day weekend with one hangover spread across it.

From Bar Manager to Director of Customer Experience

As Tennessee Hills expanded, Cam's role evolved. He went from running the bar to training others on what the Tennessee Hills experience should actually feel like.

That's harder than it sounds.

Anyone can teach someone to pour a drink. Teaching someone to create a moment (to make a guest feel like they're part of something) that's different. Cam became the guy who could translate the Jonesborough energy into a system that scales.

"When people think of Tennessee Hills, I don't want them to think 'oh, beer' or 'that's another liquor,'" Cam says. "I want them to think about what we are and what we do. Whether it's football or live music or dancing on the bar—it's an experience every time."

That philosophy now extends across four locations and into every tasting room, event, and customer interaction Tennessee Hills runs.

3 Barrels to 120: What 2026 Looks Like

Here's where the conversation shifts from looking back to looking forward.

In Jonesborough, Tennessee Hills was producing about three barrels a week. The Bristol facility, now one year into operations, can push 120 barrels a week at full capacity.

Year one was about figuring out how to run a facility that had never been used before.

Nothing worked perfectly out of the gate. The team spent twelve months dialing in systems, troubleshooting equipment, and learning what this operation could actually do.

"People see a new facility like this and think it must work great," Cam says. "Man, it's brand new. It didn't work at all. It had never been used."

Now it's dialed. 2026 is about putting the foot on the gas.

Apple Brandy with Jeter Mountain Farm

Tennessee Hills has been working on an apple brandy project with Jeter Mountain Farm out of Hendersonville, North Carolina for four years. The juice just arrived. They're laying it down in bourbon barrels now.

First release: Fall 2026.

Cam's already planning a tasting at the Apple Festival in Erwin at Nolichucky Wine & Liquor. If the timing works, the apple brandy will be there.

Gold Spectrum THC Cocktails

Tennessee Hills just launched a line of THC-infused canned cocktails in partnership with Gold Spectrum, founded by Stephen's friend Zach Green.

Four flavors( Blackberry Sage, Lavender Lemon, Tart Cherry, and Peach Ginger) all running 10mg of THC. Same flavor profiles as Tennessee Hills' RTD cocktails, minus the alcohol.

They're available now at Tennessee Hills Bristol and shops throughout Northeast Tennessee.

"They work," Cam confirms. "They 100% work."

The non-alcoholic and alternative category is booming. Tennessee Hills is leaning in.

4/18: Shadow of the Moon

The first major outdoor event of 2026 is already on the calendar.

April 18th. Outside bar opens. Grateful Dead tribute band Shadow of the Moon. Last year's show drew 350+ people.

This year's show is a tribute to Bobby Weir, who passed recently. Expect grilled cheese sandwiches in the parking lot and a proper send-off into the warm season.

Why You Should Listen

Because this episode is about what it actually takes to build something that matters.
Not the polished version. The real one. The version with three-day hangovers and 1 AM bar closings and a crew that refused to quit until the thing worked.

Cam's been here since before there was a playbook. He watched Tennessee Hills go from a single rowdy tasting room to a multi-location operation with national ambitions. And he helped shape what the experience feels like along the way.

This is the episode for anyone who's ever wondered what "Responsibly Rowdy" actually means when you're the one living it.

New episodes coming soon.

Stay #ResponsiblyRowdy.