After our stop South Carolina we headed to Tennessee, Our first stop was in Townsend, TN at the Big Meadow Camp Ground. In the heart of the Smokey Mountains. The campground is along a peaceful little river that we walk along in the mornings. The walk is so beautiful. Along the way we cross over the swinging bridge. It was a restful two days.On Tuesday, May 25, we headed to Manchester, TN, thin the heartland of Tennessee. There have been a few scattered rain showers around during the day, however all in all the weather is very nice!
On Wednesday we went out to see the local sights.... we began with the Jack Daniel's Old Time Distillery. The distillery, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the oldest registered distillery in the nation. It was
established by Jasper "Jack" Daniel in 1866 as part of the Reconstruction era's rebuilding of battered middle Tennessee. The distillery is internationally known for its charcoal mellowing process, a traditional leaching process that "was handed down by slaves who made whiskey in the hills," according to a 1972 article in the "Tennessee Historical Quarterly. " In the hills above the town, you will see many metal-clad warehouses, where the distilled whiskey is stored while it ages. Our tour guide, Chris showed us first hand the special process Mr. Jack Daniel perfected back in 1866. It is here where they make every drop of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. The tour lasted one hour and was very interesting! Although they make Jack Daniel's in Moore County, it can not be sold in the County as it is considered a "dry" County in Tennessee. Even after taking the tour they can not even offer a tasting.... very disappointing . Oh well.....
From Jack Daniel's Distillery we headed over to Cascade Hollow, the home of the George Dickel Distillery. For as large as the Jack Daniel's distillery is George Dickel is that small. Jack Daniel's has over 500 employees and George Dickel only has 28 employees. George Dickel is also considered a Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey. George Dickel spells the whisky with out the "e". He said that if it was good enough for scotch whisky, it was good enough for him! Once again the distillery is located in a "dry" county so no tasting!!!
Although both Jack Daniel's and George Dickel are both Tennessee sour mash, there are small differences in the way they are made If you are ever in the area I strongly suggest you tour both distillery's, you won't be disappointed.
There are several more photos in the blog below...
Tomorrow we are off to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opre!!! More on that later,.. until then.
Candy and Johnny
