Airport Experience® News - Food & Beverage Issue 2024

partnerships and adult beverage for North America for Avolta . “Much like outposts of local breweries have proven to be tremendously popular in airports, I could see more airports having extensions of their local distilleries as well,” he says. “Local distillery-inspired bars and restaurants not only offer a sense of place in an airport as a representation of the local community, but also allow us to create a platform to highlight and feature local products. It’s a chance for us to champion a local business and help create awareness.”

Whiskey Bar at Nashville International Airport (BNA). “When you’re at the Charlotte airport, it really feels like you’re in Charlotte with all the outposts of local restaurants and breweries—you get a real taste and flavor of the city, and I saw an opportunity to be a part of that,” says Oliver “Ollie” Mulligan, founder of Great Wagon Road Distilling Company , lauded as Charlotte, North Carolina’s oldest distillery, specializing in American single malt whiskey and other spirits. The distillery’s bar debuted in Concourse A at CLT in early 2020. “It’s going quite well: Over 53 million passengers traveled through CLT last year, so that is a lot of foot traffic and I anticipate serving even more travelers when the airport finishes its Concourse A expansion project,” Mulligan adds. “Seeing Great Wagon Road in the airport is something I’m really proud of. There are millions of travelers passing through

A Growing Trend HMSHost , part of Avolta, operates numerous distillery-branded bars and restaurants across the country, including Mockingbird Distillery & Smokehouse at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH); Wigle Whiskey Tasting Room, Bar and Restaurant at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT); the Great Wagon Road Distilling Company bar at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT); and the Green Room Lounge &

Left, below: The Green Room Lounge & Whiskey Bar at Nashville International Airport is the latest distillery-inspired

concept from HMSHost. . Photos by Ford Photography

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AX NEWS JUNE 2024