How to Tour the Jack Daniels Distillery

Jack Daniels. For many, that name is synonymous with whiskey. Since 1866, Jack Daniels has been producing his world famous Tennessee Sipping Whiskey in the small Tennessee town of Lynchburg. If you are a whiskey aficionado, a history buff or you are going to be visiting Nashville, consider stopping by the Jack Daniels Distillery for a tour of the facility. One of the knee-slapping-funny guides will take you around the distillery and regale you with some facts that are historic and humorous.

Things You'll Need

• Good walking shoes
• Comfortable clothing
• Sunscreen
• Mosquito repellent
• Camera

Instructions

1. Plan your trip to the Jack Daniels Distillery. It is 75 miles southeast of Nashville in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The distillery is open everyday except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Allow at least two hours to visit the distillery. The tours start about every 15 minutes, with the first one beginning at 9 a.m. and the last one at 4:30 p.m. Tours are free.

2. Prepare to take the tour. Touring the distillery takes 1 hour and 15 minutes and much of the walking is up and down stairs. Wear comfortable clothing and good walking shoes. Check the weather before you go; most of the tour is outdoors. You might want to bring a hat and use sunscreen and mosquito repellent.

3. When you arrive at the Jack Daniels Distillery, go inside the Visitors’ Center. You can either go to the information desk to get a ticket for the tour immediately or look around at the displays first. These displays will tell some of the history of Jack Daniels, his distillery and a bit about the local culture.

4. Leave large bags, backpacks, camera bags, tote bags or shopping bags in the trunk of your car. They are not allowed on the tour. If you do not want to leave them in your car, the Visitors’ Center has lockers that you can use free of charge.

5. Listen for the number on your ticket to be called over the loudspeaker; this is your tour number. When it is called, you will go into a small room where the tour guide will introduce himself, give you a brief explanation about the tour, and then run a short film that introduces Jack Daniels and the distillery. The tour begins after that film.

6. Follow the tour guide to the bus that will take your group to the first stop on the tour. Your guide will arrange your group in two lines and a picture will be taken of your group. This picture will be available to view online on the Jack Daniels website within a few days. She will then begin the walking part of the tour, where you will see all aspects of distilling the whiskey, including where the spring water comes from, how they burn the stacks of wood for charcoal, where they brew the mash and where they bottle the whiskey.

7. Enjoy a glass of lemonade that is served at the end of the tour. If you wish, you can purchase commemorative decanters of Jack Daniels in the White Rabbit Bottle Shop. It is open on the days the distillery is open, except on Sundays. Get your tour ticket stamped and use this number to look up the picture of your tour group online.

Tips & Warnings

• Mutli-language brochures are available at the beginning of the tour, for a small fee.

• If you have time, plan to spend the whole day or a half a day in the area. There are other things to do and see in Lynchburg. Like having lunch at any of the local restaurants or walking around the shops in Lynchburg’s nearby square. If you visit on the fourth Saturday of October, you can take in the Annual Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue.

Resources

• Jack Daniels