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| © shoutingforha |
A few weeks ago, the fellows and I decided to take a day trip to Lynchburg, TN,
a tiny town located in Moore County (the smallest county in TN). Lynchburg is best known as the home of the famous Jack Daniel's Distillery. We
took a stroll around the town square which is surrounded by dozens of
quaint shops and restaurants.
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Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House is probably the most well-known eatery in town. Once a boading house for locals, including members of Jack Daniel's family, it now serves twice-daily family style dinners which feature a variety of southern fare.
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Visitors
are assigned to a dining room and are seated at a large table along
with other guests. A hostess dines with each group and is there to
provide a history of the boarding house, facilitate conversation and
make sure there is an abundance of food to share.
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| © shoutingforha |
After
filling our bellies, we decided to visit the Jack Daniel's
Distillery which is located a short five minute walk from downtown.
After crossing a bridge which spans Mulberry Creek, the landscape
changes from a picturesque town to the beautiful Tennessee countryside.
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Ironically,
Moore County, TN has been a dry county since the time of Prohibition.
In layman's terms this means that you can't buy a drop of alcohol within
it's borders. The population of the county is too small to vote on a
referendum to amend the law.
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In
recent years, the distillery was granted permission to offer a $10
sampling tour. Since the boy was with us, we opted to take the
traditional free tour.
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| © shoutingforha |
The distillery and visitor's center are nestled along the rolling hillsides. The grounds are lovely and are far more reminiscent of an old college campus than a traditional factory.
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| © shoutingforha |
For
nearly 140 years, Jack Daniel's whiskey has been made using the limestone-filtered water
that flows from Cave Spring which is located on the distillery grounds.
As the story goes, Jack purchased the property because of the free
flowing spring.
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| © shoutingforha |
Every drop of Jack Daniels "mellows" through 10 feet of charcoal before being transferred to the barrels for aging. Workers make the special sugar maple charcoal that is used on-site.
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| © shoutingforha |
An
interesting bit of history... After an extended period of traveling to
promote his whiskey, Jack Daniel returned to the distillery and was
unable to open his safe which held the company ledger and all of the
profits. In frustration he kicked the safe, breaking his big toe.
In
the end, this would prove to be a fatal mistake. Gangrene set in and, over the course of several years, doctors would be forced to remove
portions of his foot and leg until they reached his hip. Jack
eventually died of gangrene poisoning at the age of 65.
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| © shoutingforha |
One last tidbit about old
Jack... He was a rather small man. At a mere 5' 2" and wearing a size 4
shoe, he was exactly the same size and yours truly. Poor fellow.
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| © shoutingforha |
If you ever find yourself in the Tennessee countryside with some time on your hands, consider making a stop in Lynchburg. A stroll through the town and a visit to the distillery are a lovely way to spend the day.
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