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Jack Daniel's Distillery

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MilwVon
MilwVon
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
4
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54
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Editor Pick

Being a Non-Whiskey Drinker…you Must Believe When I Say…What-a-Blast!

  • September 30, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Traveling Jen from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Being a Non-Whiskey Drinker…you Must Believe When I Say…What-a-Blast!

As I have already said… the drive to Lynchburg is a scenic experience in itself. It took about an hour and 20 minutes to drive from downtown Nashville to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery. Let me just say, the grounds are beautiful and the distillery buildings are momentous. Tree barks had turned black from the distillery process. I know it sounds bizarre… but it was beautiful to see black trees with vibrant green leaves growing on them. Very strange… but, no alcohol is served on the premises (Lynchburg is a dry town). Not that it really mattered to me (as stated earlier)… not a whiskey drinker. Expecting to pay between $10 and $15 a ticket for the tour, I was unbelievably surprised that it was FREE!! Our tour guide, William, was awesome. He was funny and did a great job involving everyone in the group in conversation. I had a hard time understanding his authentic southern accent at times, but even that added to his charm. We learned all about the makings of Jack Daniel’s: from smelling the fermenting tank to the bottling. Let me tell you… the smell from the fermenting tank was strong enough to clear my allergy ridden sinuses. There were even a couple of people that had been on the tour the day before, and came back for more. The tour lasted 1 ½ hours, at the end we were greeted with freshly made glasses of lemonade, plane lemonade (not Lynchburg Lemonade). I do believe, it was the best lemonade I have ever had. Much to my surprise, when we got home, I checked the Jack Daniel’s web-site for our tour picture. I expected to order a copy for a few bucks… also, free!! The only thing that disappointed me was that they didn’t have a gift shop on the premises. We did take the short walk on the path from the distillery to downtown Lynchburg where there was a Jack Daniel’s store (Lynchburg Hardware & General Store).
Tour hours are 9am – 4:30pm daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve & New Years Day.
182 Lynchburg Highway
Lynchburg, Tennessee
37352
(877) SPIRITS
www.jackdaniels.com (the distillery)
www.lynchburgstore.summitmg.com (the store)

From journal Y'all Going to Nashville?

Editor Pick

Jack Daniel's Distillery

  • December 27, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by applejacks from Irvine, California
Jack Daniel's Distillery

We drove down to the distillery based on a recommendation from the shuttle bus driver at our hotel. His recommendation led to a short, scenic drive down to Lynchburg and a humorous, informative, and (best of all) free tour of the famous Jack Daniel's Distillery.

The tour of "The Hollow" begins at the visitor center. The first thing you'll see is a statue of Jack Daniel who was only 5 feet 2 inches tall. Although he wasn't a physically large man, you'll notice throughout the tour that his memory generates a great deal of respect from the current employees. After taking a moment to take a picture, get a tour card with your tour number from a staff member. Then look at the displays in the visitor center. They are informative and funny, covering topics including Jack Daniel's biography, prohibition in the surrounding areas, and the process of distilling Tennessee Whiskey.

Our tour started with a brief movie and then a bus ride to the Rickyard, where the charcoal is made using only hard sugar maple ricks. We were lucky enough to be visiting when a batch of ricks were being carefully burned to produce the charcoal used in the distilling process. Our tour guide informed us that burning the ricks is a tricky thing. Too much fire and the charcoal turns to ash.

After the Rickyard, we moved on to the limestone cave, which produces the iron-free water used to make JD, and Jack Daniel's old office. We then moved indoors to the Copper Stills and the fermenters used to make the sour mash. The fermenters were huge, each filled with 40,000 gallons of boiling alcohol.

We then headed to the Charcoal Mellowing room, which our tour guide insisted was the highlight of the tour. He explained that in the vats the sour mash drips through 10 feet of charcoal. He then rapidly tugged on the lids of the vats to we could breathe in the intoxicating aroma of JD. Under normal circumstances, I would have thought this was super-cool, but since I had a little too much to drink the night before, my stomach did several flip-flops.

There were several additional stops on the hour-long tour including a Packaging Room and one of the Barrel Houses. At these stops the tour guide explained the importance of their barrels and how JD gets its color.

Our tour guide asked almost everyone on the tour "You a whiskey drinker?" with a quick Southern accent. My answer, "Occasionally, but I prefer rum." Even though I'm not a whiskey drinker, I loved the distillery tour. It was great to see people who really love their product prepare it with pride. I would highly recommend a visit to whiskey and non-whiskey drinkers alike!

Tours are offered daily from 9am to 4:30pm, except major holidays. It takes about a hour to get to the distillery from Nashville.

From journal Noteworthy in (and around) Nashville

Editor Pick

Jack Daniels Distillery

  • November 6, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by fizzytom from Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Situated some 75 miles south east of Nashville, this isn't strictly a Nashville activity but many people staying in the city go out to visit this great attraction. Incredibly guided tours are free. They last about an hour and 15 minutes and depart every 15 minutes or so.

Led by a guide in costume, you see the Tennessee whisky making process from beginning to end with the expert help of characterful guides. (Randy is fabulous!!!)

Not for people with mobility problems as this involves a lot of climbing stairs, you will see how the maple chips are made, how the sour mash bubbles in vats and even where the ladies add the labels to the finished bottles.

In the foyer there is an exhibition of some fantastic old photographs of days gone by at the distillery and you get a glass of chilled homemade lemonade after the tour.

A group photo is taken and will appear on line on the Jack Daniels website a few days later for you to download - a great souvenir.

Afterwards, pop into Lynchburg village and buy some Jack Daniels souvenirs - if it has the JD logo on it, you can buy it here!

A fab day out, terrific fun. If you can try to go on a day when they are having a Tennessee barbecue. You have to pay but they are brilliant! Held up at the pavilion on top of the hill you will get great food accompanied by a lone steel guitar player. Perfect!

From journal Downtown Nashville

Editor Pick

The Jack Daniel Distillery

  • August 20, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by MilwVon from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Jack Daniel Distillery

While in Nashville, you are about 75 miles from the world-famous Jack Daniel Distillery (http://www.jackdaniels.com/). As the oldest registered distillery (1866), you can really get a sense of the history during this walking tour. The distillery has also been registered as a National Historic Site.

There is a guide who will walk you through the entire process of making whiskey. Even if you are a teetotaler, I believe you'll have an appreciation of the exacting process that goes into making Jack Daniel's whiskey.

At the end of the tour, there will be (nonalcoholic) lemonade awaiting you. You will also be able to buy special commemorative bottles of Jack Daniels at very competitive prices.

I did the Grayline tour from Fairfield. The price was $35. If you go on your own, there is no admission fee. It is a long day, around 7 hours, which includes about 2 hours in downtown Lynchburg for shopping and lunch (see my separate journal entry on that experience).

From journal Nashville in a Day (or two)

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