Frommer's Nashville and Memphis by Linda Romine

Author:Linda Romine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Published: 2012-04-01T16:00:00+00:00

Distilleries, Horses & a Battlefield

Though Tennessee was last to secede from the Union, the Civil War came early to the state, and 3 years of being on the front lines left Tennessee with a legacy written in blood. More Civil War battles were fought here than in any other state except Virginia, and the bloodiest of these was the Battle of Stones River, which took place 30 miles south of Nashville, near the city of Murfreesboro. Today this battle is commemorated at the Stones River National Battlefield.

In the 2 decades that followed the war, Tennessee quickly recovered and developed two of the state’s most famous commodities—Tennessee sippin’ whiskey and Tennessee walking horses. Another 45 miles or so south of Murfreesboro, you can learn about both of these time-honored Tennessee traditions.

For those who are not connoisseurs of sour mash whiskeys, Tennessee whiskey is not bourbon. This latter whiskey, named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, where it was first distilled, is made much the same way, but it is not charcoal-mellowed the way fine Tennessee sour mash whiskey is.

If you have the time, I encourage you to get off the interstate and hit the back roads, which offer lovely countryside vistas and interesting small towns. For more information with links to maps and self-guided driving tours of Civil War sites, distilleries, and Tennessee’s portion of the famed Natchez Trace Parkway (southwest of Nashville), visit this Tennessee tourist office website: www.tntrailsandbyways.com.

Jack Daniel’s Distillery ★ Old Jack Daniel (or Mr. Jack, as he was known hereabouts) didn’t waste any time setting up his whiskey distillery after the Civil War came to an end. Founded in 1866, this is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s still an active distillery; you can tour the facility and see how Jack Daniel’s whiskey is made and learn how it gets such a distinctive earthy flavor. There are two secrets to the manufacture of Mr. Jack’s famous sour mash whiskey. The first of these is the water that comes gushing—pure, cold, and iron free—from Cave Spring. The other is the sugar maple that’s used to make the charcoal. In fact, it is this charcoal, through which the whiskey slowly drips, that gives Jack Daniel’s its renowned smoothness.

After touring the distillery, you can glance in at the office used by Mr. Jack and see the safe that did him in. Old Mr. Jack kicked that safe one day in a fit of anger and wound up getting gangrene for his troubles. One can only hope that regular doses of Tennessee sippin’ whiskey helped ease the pain of his last days. If you want to take home some Jack Daniel’s, bottles can be purchased here at the distillery, but nowhere else in this county, which is another of Tennessee’s dry counties. (No tastings at the end of the tour, I’m afraid.)

Note: It’s easy to get here after visiting the Stones River National Battlefield (above). Continue on I-24 to exit 105,

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