Jack Daniel Distillery
The oldest registered distillery in the nation, Jack Daniel Distillery is located in Lynchburg in Moore County. Established by Jasper “Jack” Daniel in 1866, the distillery produces sour mash whiskey. Daniel located the distillery near his birthplace, recognizing that what is now Moore County was an ideal site for whiskey production due to natural advantages such as the presence of iron-free water from the distillery's cave and the ready availability of corn, rye, and barley malt to produce the fermentable mixture called “mash.”
Daniel's whiskey quickly won national recognition and in 1904 received the gold medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. In 1907 Daniel transferred the distillery to his nephew Lem Motlow, who moved the operation to St. Louis in 1910, after Tennessee enacted prohibition. In 1938, after a vigorous campaign by Motlow, Moore County, which chose to remain “dry,” voted to permit the return of Jack Daniel Distillery to its historic site.
Today, the distillery attracts annually more than 250,000 people who make the journey to Lynchburg to tour the barrelhouse, distillery, and rickyard. Although whiskey production accounts for a major segment of the Moore County economy, the county remains dry, and visitors are restricted to the purchase of commemorative bottles of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. Many visitors also dine at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House, where they are served southern family-style dinners presided over by Lynne Tolley. The boarding house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the oldest buildings in Lynchburg. Its most famous proprietor was Mary Bobo, who operated a boarding house and restaurant in the Greek Revival-style dwelling for most of the twentieth century. The historic office and early works of the Jack Daniel Distillery also are listed on the National Register.
In addition to Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, the distillery produces Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails, and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey. Adjacent to the distillery is the Lynchburg historic district, also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
