USA/TN: Lynchburg – Jack Daniel’s Distillery
You gotta try Jack Daniels at the source in Lynchburg, where all of it is being made. Jack Daniels is technically a bourbon whiskey, but the company itself opposes the bourbon name, using “Tennessee Whiskey” instead. The only difference from any other bourbon is that it’s produced in Tennessee and also additionally filtered through maple wood. The tour of the distillery is very elaborate and informative, and probably the best distillery tour I’ve been on (and I’ve been on many). You start at the “Stillhouse Hollow” where a spring flows from a cave at the base limestone cliffs – water is used for Jack Daniels. You also see the charcoal burning for filtering as well as the storage towers where barrels are kept. Next comes an elaborate tasting ceremony amongst all the barrels and smell of whiskey in the air – you get to sample five rare and choicest whiskeys, like single barrel or barrel-strength varieties, and you get to keep the shot glasses. Finally, you get to the shop when you can get every possible Jack Daniels, from the classic Old No. 7 to any limited edition possible.
