Lynchburg is the home of the Jack Daniels Distillery. If it were not for JD, this town would have folded up and shut down long ago. JD is located in Moore County, which is a dry county. After Prohibition ended, Moore County decided to remain dry, and is still in effect today. There are no bars, liquor in restaurants etc in the County. In 1995 the Distillery obtained special permission to sell special edition full size whisky bottles only. At that same time they also obtained special permission to give out tasting samples, maximum one ounce per person. Our impression of JD: they are a good Community member, they always advertise and showcase downtown Lynchburg. In speaking to local merchants, this was confirmed. It should also be noted that the guided tours are free as well. ($10 if you want to taste the product) We left with a good feeling that JD is not just in it for the money here, they truly want to give their customers a good time, show them the process and make them feel like part of the JD family. Unfortunately photos were not allowed in any Whiskey production areas, which was the best part. So.. you should just plan a visit yourself. Photos cannot describe the sweet smell of Sour Mash, Charcoal Mellowing or the wood smell in the barrelhouses anyway. And speaking of Barrelhouses, they have 84 which hold approx. 20,000 barrels each.
After the tour, which was about 2 hours, we walked into downtown Lynchburg, had lunch at Barrelhouse BBQ , checked out the local stores, and walked thru the old Moore County Jail Museum. This place was rough, opened in the late 1800, it was in use until 1991. It was very cool that a retired Deputy Sheriff from Moore County who worked in the Jail, now runs the museum.