NASHVILLE, Tenn. —

The former top distiller at Jack Daniel’s announced on Tuesday that he and several partners are setting up shop for a new whiskey distillery near the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.

Company Distilling will first open a 4000-square-foot (3,712-square-meter) tasting room and restaurant in Townsend, Tennessee, former Jack Daniel’s master distiller Jeff Arnett and his partners said in a news release. A 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-meter) main distillery in Alcoa and a tasting room in Thompson Station, closer to Nashville, will follow next year.

Arnett is teaming up with former Tennessee Distillers Guild President Kris Tatum; construction businessman Corey Clayton; founder of H. Clark Distillery Heath Clark, and Clayton Homes CEO Kevin Clayton. The initiative is expected to include a $25 million investment and provide 50 to 60 jobs.

Company Distilling’s locations will be geared toward the outdoors. The 31-acre (13-hectare) main distillery location in Alcoa will include a tasting room, restaurant, brewery, retail store, a live music venue, cornhole, pickle ball courts, bonfire pits and open access to greenway trails, according to the news release.

The Townsend location will be along the Little River with the Townsend Greenway in the front of the 13.5-acre (5-hectare) property, offering access to cycling, running and nearby mountain biking and hiking trails.

The distillery will make straight bourbon whiskey finished with maple wood “to produce a sip like no other,” Arnett said in the release.

In late 2020, Jack Daniel’s announced Arnett’s departure after a nearly 20-year stint with the powerhouse whiskey maker, including 12 years in which he led production.