Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event and fill up fast. We look forward to seeing you there!
Come join the Mountain True team and Oak and Grist as we clean up the trash left behind by Hurricane Helene in the Swannanoa River. We will be removing trash and debris along the riparian areas. Please note this will be a land-based clean-up. All volunteers are invited for FREE food after the clean-up, sponsored by Oak & Grist.
Please wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, and long sleeves (and waders if you have them), and bring drinking water, lunch/snacks, and perhaps a change of clothes for afterward in case you get wet or dirty. We will have plenty of trash bags, gloves, safety glasses, and buckets for use, along with some hand tools such as shovels, loppers, hand saws, rakes, etc., however, feel free to bring your own if you would like. We will have our dump trailer there for the removal of collected garbage and recyclables.
LOCATION:
The exact location will be emailed to participants closer to the event date. Location is largely based on where the Army Corps of Engineers is working, parking, and other factors. We expect to be in or around Swannanoa, NC.
You’re invited!
Our friends at Oak & Grist will feed all volunteers and their immediate family members for FREE at their distillery after the clean-up.
1556 Grovestone Rd, Black Mountain, NC 28711
The after-celebration starts around 3:30 pm. Please make sure to RSVP so they can ensure there is enough food for everyone.
To thank you for your time, volunteers are also eligible to receive a complimentary annual membership toMountainTrue. Please email members@mountaintrue.org to request yours.
This event is free and open to the public.
Join us, rain or shine, for the 2025 Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest to benefit the WNC Cheese Trail. Meet the makers and the milkers, explore the craft of cheesemaking, sample product, and buy lots of local cheese! We will have vendors from across the Cheese Trail including winemakers, specialty gourmet food and more! Please note: pets are not permitted at the festival.
When and Where: We invite you to the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina on September 28, 2025, when we'll be on the grounds of Oak and Grist Distilling Company in Black Mountain to celebrate southern cheese and support the WNC Cheese Trail.
You'll get to experience more delicious cheese this year! We have more additional ticket levels this year with less people at each level based on FAN feedback.
We are honoring tickets sold last year that didn't ask for refunds or to be donated. So be sure to check back for ticket numbers. We also are adding a few events on alternate days that are festival adjacent!
** Added Event** Friday, September 19th - 6:30pm Raclette and Cider Night at Barn Door Cider Works 30 tickets total $75 per ticket Dinner and Dessert with Cider Flights
Cheese Fest Ticket Levels - SUNDAY, SEPT 28TH AT OAK AND GRIST
11:30am to unlimited: The Super Cheese Lover - 40 tickets only for $65. Includes a bag, drink ticket, a sticker, cheese tasting table and 30 extra minutes to shop and enjoy with no crowds.
12pm to 2pm VIP Cheesy - 75 tickets for $40 includes a bag and sticker and access to the cheese tasting table.
1pm to 3pm Big Cheese - 150 tickets for $35 -- sticker and access to the cheese tasting table
2:30p to 5pm Cheese Supporter 150 tickets for $25 -- don't worry.. we have some special cheese treats planned for you all.
3:30p to 5pm Cheese 300 tickets for $15 -- we've got some special cheese treats planned, but you may wait a little longer in lines.
Tickets are needed for those ages 10 years and up.
We will also have a very limited supply of tickets for tours inside the distilling company. We will be updating the information on these over the next few weeks. We are anticipating more activities and vendors this year - and our folks can't wait to see you all again.
Parking at Oak and Grist is great and we will have more staff helping on this, but we still encourage car pooling &/or meeting up with friends nearby and using one car to get to the venue - especially if you want to taste their offerings.
We'll be updating our festival website regularly with information about the day's activities. We'll have a wide variety of family-fun activities, vendors from across the region, demos, workshops, competitions, farm animals and more!
Tickets proceeds benefit the WNC Cheese Trail and are non-refundable. Please know that if you are unable to use your tickets and cannot find another to use them, we assure you that WNC cheese makers value your contribution as an important way to support small artisanal businesses and help keep the local dairy industry alive and well.
We are NOT anticipating having general admission this year. We may change that, but we're keeping our numbers down so folks can enjoy ALL the cheese.
Purchase entrance tickets here!
Interested in Volunteering or in Sponsorships? Please connect with us at wncctcmcf@gmail.com!
Ticket proceeds benefit the WNC Cheese Trail and are non-refundable.
PLEASE NOTE - Pets are not permitted at the festival. Thanks.
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event and fill up fast. We look forward to seeing you there!
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event and fill up fast. We look forward to seeing you there!
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event and fill up fast. We look forward to seeing you there!
We are so proud to announce a new partnership with LEAF Global Arts (+ their 30th anniversary), and what better way to kick it off than with their annual FUNdraiser. The LEAF mobile stage at Oak & Grist will welcome New Dawn Starkestra w/ Jeff Sipe, Isaac Hadden, Rebekah Todd & Quinn Sternberg.
(Free to attend w/ suggested donation)
LEAF Global Arts is on a mission CONNECTING CULTURES and CREATING COMMUNITY through world music, arts education, preservation and experiences. The closest distance between two people is a story, a song, or a dance.
Charlie King will be serving up authentic Jamican food to fill your bellies. To celbrate LEAF Global Arts’ 30th anniversary, Oak and Grist will be launching their LEAF LOVE cocktail of which 30% of the proceeds (not profits!) will go to LEAF to support cultural arts programing in schools & afterschool programs.
Give yourself a few moments of literary escape at our weekly Tuesday night Book Swap. We’ve seeded a small library at the distillery to kick start this weekly event to benefit Swannanoa/Black Mountain valley teachers. Spread out in our garden or curl up on our patio with a cocktail and your favorite literary indulgence. In between books? Take one from our library. Finish one? Leave it for a friend and pick up a new one. We’re curating a mid week moment of calm just for you.
Ever been curious what we have in the works? Here is your chance. Join us in the distillery for a vertical tasting of upcoming spirits straight from the barrel warehouse. Our production team will lead you through a selection of 3-4 unique and unreleased spirits; focusing in on the nuances of how each came to be. They will also shed some light on some of the things we look for in our mature spirits. The tasting lasts 1 ½ hours and participants must be 21+.
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event and fill up fast. We look forward to seeing you there!
Want to help clean up our rivers and then? We’ve teamed up with Catawba Riverkeeper and G5 Trail Collective to put together a day of service, resilience, and celebration. Those who choose to join us will spend a few hours cleaning up our shared watershed; afterwards volunteers and their families are invited back to Oak & Grist Distilling for complimentary food for the whole family. In addition the distillery will be donating 5% of seasonal cocktail, beer, and wine sales for the day to our partner non-profits.
To sign up please click the button button to see our friends at G5 and they will get you squared away!
Give yourself a few moments of literary escape at our weekly Tuesday night Book Swap. We’ve seeded a small library at the distillery to kick start this weekly event to benefit Swannanoa/Black Mountain valley teachers. Spread out in our garden or curl up on our patio with a cocktail and your favorite literary indulgence. In between books? Take one from our library. Finish one? Leave it for a friend and pick up a new one. We’re curating a mid week moment of calm just for you.
Give yourself a few moments of literary escape at our weekly Tuesday night Book Swap. We’ve seeded a small library at the distillery to kick start this weekly event to benefit Swannanoa/Black Mountain valley teachers. Spread out in our garden or curl up on our patio with a cocktail and your favorite literary indulgence. In between books? Take one from our library. Finish one? Leave it for a friend and pick up a new one. We’re curating a mid week moment of calm just for you.
Give yourself a few moments of literary escape at our weekly Tuesday Night Book Swap. We’ve seeded a small library at the distillery to kick start this weekly event to benefit Swannanoa/Black Mountain valley teachers. Spread out in our garden or curl up on our patio with a cocktail and your favorite literary indulgence. In between books? Take one from our library. Finish one? Leave it for a friend and pick up a new one. We’re curating a mid week moment of calm just for you.
Give yourself a few moments of literary escape at our weekly Tuesday Night Book Swap. We’ve seeded a small library at the distillery to kick start this weekly event to benefit Swannanoa/Black Mountain valley teachers. Spread out in our garden or curl up on our patio with a cocktail and your favorite literary indulgence. In between books? Take one from our library. Finish one? Leave it for a friend and pick up a new one. We’re curating a mid week moment of calm just for you.
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event and fill up fast. We look forward to seeing you there!
Ever been curious what we have in the works? Here is your chance. Join us in the distillery for a vertical tasting of upcoming spirits straight from the barrel warehouse. Our production team will lead you through a selection of 3-4 unique and unreleased spirits; focusing in on the nuances of how each came to be. They will also shed some light on some of the things we look for in our mature spirits. The tasting lasts 1 ½ hours and participants must be 21+.
Can’t make this one? Keep your eyes peeled. We will continue to do this event on the eve of our Limited Releases.
Over the years our Genever “margarita” variations have been some of the most popular seasonal cocktails to grace our menu. That got us thinking…why not give the people what they want. Starting Monday May 26th we are making every Monday, Margarita Monday at Oak & Grist. So come on by after work or just skip work entirely cause it’s all day!
Over the years our Genever “margarita” variations have been some of the most popular seasonal cocktails to grace our menu. That got us thinking…why not give the people what they want. Starting Monday May 26th we are making every Monday, Margarita Monday at Oak & Grist. So come on by after work or just skip work entirely cause it’s all day!
Join Dark City Poets Society at Oak and Grist Distilling Company for a night of spoken word. Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and drink for a good cause. The event is free and $1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Over the years our Genever “margarita” variations have been some of the most popular seasonal cocktails to grace our menu. That got us thinking…why not give the people what they want. Starting Monday May 26th we are making every Monday, Margarita Monday at Oak & Grist. So come on by after work or just skip work entirely cause it’s all day!
Over the years our Genever “margarita” variations have been some of the most popular seasonal cocktails to grace our menu. That got us thinking…why not give the people what they want. Starting Monday May 26th we are making every Monday, Margarita Monday at Oak & Grist. So come on by after work or just skip work entirely cause it’s all day!
Over the years our Genever “margarita” variations have been some of the most popular seasonal cocktails to grace our menu. That got us thinking…why not give the people what they want. Starting Monday May 26th we are making every Monday, Margarita Monday at Oak & Grist. So come on by after work or just skip work entirely cause it’s all day!
Over the years our Genever “margarita” variations have been some of the most popular seasonal cocktails to grace our menu. That got us thinking…why not give the people what they want. Starting Monday May 26th we are making every Monday, Margarita Monday at Oak & Grist. So come on by after work or just skip work entirely cause it’s all day!
Join Dark City Poets Society at Oak and Grist Distilling Company for a night of spoken word. Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and drink for a good cause. The event is free and $1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Join Dark City Poets Society at Oak and Grist Distilling Company for a night of spoken word. Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and drink for a good cause. The event is free and $1 from every classic cocktail will be donated to Friends of the Black Mountain Library.
Sign-ups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event. We look forward to seeing you there!
We are thrilled to have our friends New Stock out to celebrate Pi Day with us. They will have a selection of sweet pies with them and will be selling them by the slice or whole pie and they can also set ya up with a sampler pie if you can't decide on just one flavor.
And if sweet pies aren't enough for you, to celebrate the ongoing SOUP|BAR collaboration with New Stock, the distillery will be serving up FREE savory mini pot pies until they run out. Oh yea we will also have some cocktail specials for you.
So come on out for dinner dinner, stay for some dessert and you might as well sip a cocktail or two.
If you haven’t tried the Soup | Bar from Newstock Pantry at the distillery these last few weeks, you are truly missing out. Before starting Newstock Pantry Ashley & Travis were behind the scenes at some of Asheville's most well known restaurants. When they struck out on their own with New Stock, I took every opportunity to collaborate with them. So it’s a bit of a dream for Oak & Grist to be able to offer a rotating selection of soups and savory pies from them every weekend.
Want to check out what they are cooking up? Stop by the distillery anytime open to close Fridays & Saturdays through the winter.
