Tennessee Whiskey!

Hey Y'All,
Look who is trying to get into Dad's Gentleman Jack!

Such an innocent face, don't let him fool you!

We made it to Tennessee and our first stop was the George Dickel  Distillery.  Mom and dad have an old bottle at home just like this one:
https://www.ebay.com/i/290808547896?chn=ps

This distillery is one of the best-kept secrets in this part of Tennessee. It is a small operation and so we got a much more personalized tour than we got a day later at Jack Daniels.

 George Dickel, a German immigrant, distilled his first bottle in 1870. He created a unique cold mellowing process, which made his whisky smoother than others. He followed the Scotish tradition of spelling whisky without an "e". It is the only distillery in Tennessee where the entire process is hand done, without the use of computerized equipment. 

The next day mom and dad went to Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg. 

 What a difference, crowds of people, a huge operation. They had a great tour guide who had a real passion for his job ( he is also one of their whiskey tasters - maybe that's the reason).

Jack Daniel was an interesting man. He stood just five feet, two inches and liked to wear three-piece suits.

He learned the art of whiskey making from a preacher and an enslaved man named Nathan "Nearest" Green. Jack would later hire Nearest as his master distiller.  Seven generations of Nearest's descendants have worked at the distillery and still do to this day. 

It all began in this small cabin 

right next to the limestone spring cave,  providing pure spring water, the lifeblood of their whiskey.

and it ends in the tasting room!

Our campground was on Normandy Lake

Lots of room for us to run around, which we really like.

The last day mom and dad drove to Sewanne to have brunch at the beautiful Sewanne Inn.

They told me that their  brunch was delicious, 

 especially the shrimp and grits 

and of course the Bloody Mary's!

After brunch, they took a drive around the beautiful campus of the University of the South. A private liberal arts college, with a very strong academic reputation, is one of the South's finest universities.  It sits on 10,000 acres, and the gothic architectural style of the buildings was both striking and grand.

 

 That's all for now, next stop, Nashville!

Bye Y'All

Yuki& Brody