Jack Daniel Distillery Tour: Here’s all you need to know!
Much like country music, Jack Daniel’s is an iconic symbol of Tennessee’s Southern charm and hospitality.
After all, the Jack Daniel’s brand has become so synonymous with Tennessee whiskey. Plus its Old No. 7 Brand has long held the title of the world’s best-selling premium distilled spirit brand.
For this reason, no Nashville or Lynchburg roadtrip is quite complete without a pilgrimage to America’s oldest distillery.
Planning a visit to the area? Want to know if the Jack Daniel Distillery Tour is worth a visit?
Here’s a visitors guide to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour in Lynchburg, Tennessee:
About the Jack Daniel Distillery Tours
Approximately 300,000+ people visit the distillery and the little town of Lynchburg each year. During any two-month period, visitors from all 50 states and over 30 foreign countries will come to check out where their favorite whiskey is made.
Yes, this global icon is shipped to over 170 countries around the world–and every single drop of it is made in their distillery in Lynchburg.
What tours are available?
Currently, there are 4 tours to choose from on their website. All of the tours include a tour of the distillery. However, they differ slightly in length and price. Click here to learn more about each tour option and see how they compare.
We went on the Angel’s Share Tour, which took us to the tasting room in the historic George Green Barrel House. We got to taste whiskey drawn from individual barrels, which was apparently an honor that was once reserved exclusively for Jack Daniel’s distillers and tasters.
How can you get there?
The Jack Daniel Distillery can be found 70 miles southeast of Nashville. It’s about a 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 30 minute drive from downtown Nashville.
Take I-24 east to Route 55 (exit 111). Take Route 55 through Tullahoma to Lynchburg. Or, from I-65, take US 64 through Fayetteville to Lynchburg and Route 55 through Lynchburg to the distillery.
What is a typical Jack Daniel Distillery Tour like?
We started at the visitor center, where we boarded a tour bus to be taken to the first stop.
Visitors are then taken to all around the distillery — we got to see everything from the barrel houses, the charcoal production area, the filtering and mellowing rooms, down to the packaging assembly line.
We even got a peek at the Cave Spring, the legendary pure spring water source for all of the whiskeys; and Jack’s original office, which has now been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Afterwards, depending on your tour, you may get a sampling of different exclusive Jack Daniel’s whiskeys.
What can you learn on the Jack Daniel Distillery Tour?
Little did we know that Jack Daniel was quite an interesting and colorful character — and there were quite a number of peculiar tidbits about him.
We won’t spoil it all for you, but some interesting pieces of trivia were namely — that Jack isn’t even his real name (it’s Jasper), and no one quite knows his exact birthday. He was also a lifelong bachelor, so it was his nephew who ultimately inherited his business after his death. Oh and yes, even his death had an interesting story behind it… :O
There are also endless fascinating facts about their entire production process. For example, Jack Daniel’s makes all of their own white oak barrels. They are single-use only, but they resell them to different other businesses such as hot sauce makers, beer brewers, Scotch whisky distillers, and even furniture makers.
full of restaurants and souvenir shops
What can you do after the tour?
Make sure to take some time and explore the little town of Lynchburg. We spent about three hours eating, shopping and taking a stroll around the charming little town square. There you’ll find the old courthouse, old county jail, Miss Mary Bobo’s boarding house, and plenty of local shops and businesses.
At the time of our visit, the local businesses had a special promotion. Visitors coming from the Jack Daniel Distillery Tour got a free shot glass for every $10 purchase.
What really sets Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey apart from others?
The “Lincoln County Process” or “The Extra Blessing” is what genuinely distinguishes Jack Daniel’s from all other whiskey brands in America. This is also why it is specifically classified as a Tennessee whiskey.
This process has their un-aged distilled whiskey filter through their hand-crafted sugar maple charcoal. The trip takes 3-5 days to complete and what trickles through is sent into barrels for maturation.
It is also largely credited with the brand’s distinctive smooth taste. This ultimately helped catapult Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Brand into being the world’s best-selling premium distilled alcohol brand.
Bottom line: Is it worth visiting?
The bottom line is: Even if you’re not a whiskey fan, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery is a must-see.
Their company history is intriguing, the distillation process is fascinating, and the area is lovely. It seriously goes way beyond the typical whiskey tour.
Do you like visiting breweries, distilleries, or wineries?
Have you ever been here? Have you done the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour?
Comment below if you have any additional tips or questions!
Disclaimer: We were invited by the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour staff as media guests. However, all opinions are our own and based on our honest personal experience.
Main Cover Photo courtesy of Jack Daniel Distillery Tour
