Commentary - pcgazette.com

Commentary
pcgazette.com

Jack Daniel's distillery tour finds southern hospitality

By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
For over 30 years, Martha and I have traveled to her home in northwest Alabama several times a year to visit relatives and friends. At first, we'd drive through Chicago, and pick up I-65 in northwest Indiana, and head south - through Indianapolis, Louisville and Nashville. About 50 miles below Nashville, there was a sign inviting us to visit the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, about 40 miles to the east. We never took that side trip.

We now take a shorter route through the center of Illinois, into Kentucky, Tennessee and into northwest Alabama. So on our most recent trip, a Jack Daniel's visit was far from our minds.

But when we arrived in Alabama, we found that Martha's cousin and college roommate, Ann Battcher, had made arrangements for us to spend part of a day in Lynchburg - including reservations for a midday meal at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House, and a tour of the distillery.

We arrived at Miss Bobo's about 40 minutes before the 1 p.m. seating - as the folks who operate the place had suggested. The restaurant is quite popular, so it's difficult to obtain last-minute reservations. Ann had phoned a few weeks earlier and took advantage of a cancellation to book us.

Miss Bobo's is a block off the town square. As guests arrived at the old white building, they gathered in sitting rooms, awaiting the call to dine. When our turn came, the hostess ushered us into an adjacent room, where we took seats at the long table set for 12. Joining us were couples from Los Angeles, Scottsboro, Ala., the United Kingdom and a young couple and their three small children from Nashville. It made for interesting conversation.

At that point, proprietor Lynne Tolley joined us. She's the great-grandniece of Jack Daniel, and operates Miss Bobo's for the owner, the Brown-Forman Company of Louisville. The gracious Miss Lynne outlined the day's menu of home-cooked delights served family-style, including a wonderful light meatloaf, delicious chicken pastry, tasty fried okra, pinto beans topped with sweet bell pepper relish, creamed corn, a cabbage casserole, baked apples (containing a smidgen of Jack Daniel whiskey), fluffy cornbread muffins and a scrumptious chocolate pie. "Please pass the ______," was something we heard frequently. The menu changes daily - except for the okra.

The only irritation was the entryway music box that played a one-minute version of Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago over and over during the 30-minutes we waited for our call to dine. I don't want to hear that song again for a while!

The fascinating distillery tour took just over an hour. We saw the iron-free water used to make Jack Daniel's whiskey flowing from a cave. Our guide showed us huge vats of bubbling mash, and smaller charcoal-filled vats in which the whiskey is clarified while passing through. He noted bars on the windows of the first two floors of several multi-story buildings in which the whiskey ages and colors in row after row of barrels. He reasoned that anyone who wanted to steal a 600-pound barrel of whiskey and managed to get it out of a third-floor window was welcome to it.

You might think guests would gather to sample the product after a tour, just as they do at the Point Brewery. But not in Lynchburg or Moore County, which have been dry since Prohibition. Instead, the distillery offers complimentary lemonade.

Later, I mentioned to our guide that I was a Tennessee Squire, and he directed us to a special room, where Squire Lady Irene Matthews greeted and entertained us with stories about famous people who took a fancy to Jack Daniel's whiskey. Irene was a most gracious hostess, and fulfilled her responsibility of promoting the Jack Daniel aura.

In 1989, a friend had nominated me to become a Squire. I received a fancy membership certificate, and deed to a one square-foot plot of distillery land. Ever since becoming a Squire, I've received occasional humorous promotional letters from Jack Daniel representatives on the status of my land and their efforts to maintain it.

As we sat in the paneled Squire room, Irene told us that President Harry Truman was fond of the product, and so was Frank Sinatra. She presented us with a gift box of Jack Daniel highball glasses.

I was relating some of this information last week to the fellows who gather each Thursday morning for breakfast in downtown Stevens Point.

That's when Mark Makholm mentioned that he, too, was a Squire. There may others around here.

If you have time, you'll enjoy a visit to Lynchburg. To dine at Miss Bobo's, call a few months ahead at (615) 759-7394 for reservations.

While the Jack Daniel employees display a wonderful down-home, folksy demeanor, don't let that fool you. Jack Daniel's ranked seventh in worldwide liquor sales in 1999, grossing $1 billion, (that's with a "B") 265 million. Those Tennessee hill folks know exactly what they're doing.

You may reach Jim Schuh at The Gazette, or by e-mail at jpschuh@excite.com.



	Jack Daniel's distillery tour finds southern hospitality By JIM SCHUH of The Gazette For over 30 years, Martha and I have traveled to her home in northwest Alabama several times a year to visit relatives and friends. At first, we'd drive through Chicago, and pick up I-65 in northwest Indiana, and head south - through Indianapolis, Louisville and Nashville. About 50 miles below Nashville, there was a sign inviting us to visit the Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, about 40 miles to the east. We never took that side trip. We now take a shorter route through the center of Illinois, into Kentucky, Tennessee and into northwest Alabama. So on our most recent trip, a Jack Daniel's visit was far from our minds. But when we arrived in Alabama, we found that Martha's cousin and college roommate, Ann Battcher, had made arrangements for us to spend part of a day in Lynchburg - including reservations for a midday meal at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House, and a tour of the distillery. We arrived at Miss Bobo's about 40 minutes before the 1 p.m. seating - as the folks who operate the place had suggested. The restaurant is quite popular, so it's difficult to obtain last-minute reservations. Ann had phoned a few weeks earlier and took advantage of a cancellation to book us. Miss Bobo's is a block off the town square. As guests arrived at the old white building, they gathered in sitting rooms, awaiting the call to dine. When our turn came, the hostess ushered us into an adjacent room, where we took seats at the long table set for 12. Joining us were couples from Los Angeles, Scottsboro, Ala., the United Kingdom and a young couple and their three small children from Nashville. It made for interesting conversation. At that point, proprietor Lynne Tolley joined us. She's the great-grandniece of Jack Daniel, and operates Miss Bobo's for the owner, the Brown-Forman Company of Louisville. The gracious Miss Lynne outlined the day's menu of home-cooked delights served family-style, including a wonderful light meatloaf, delicious chicken pastry, tasty fried okra, pinto beans topped with sweet bell pepper relish, creamed corn, a cabbage casserole, baked apples (containing a smidgen of Jack Daniel whiskey), fluffy cornbread muffins and a scrumptious chocolate pie. "Please pass the ______," was something we heard frequently. The menu changes daily - except for the okra. The only irritation was the entryway music box that played a one-minute version of Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago over and over during the 30-minutes we waited for our call to dine. I don't want to hear that song again for a while! The fascinating distillery tour took just over an hour. We saw the iron-free water used to make Jack Daniel's whiskey flowing from a cave. Our guide showed us huge vats of bubbling mash, and smaller charcoal-filled vats in which the whiskey is clarified while passing through. He noted bars on the windows of the first two floors of several multi-story buildings in which the whiskey ages and colors in row after row of barrels. He reasoned that anyone who wanted to steal a 600-pound barrel of whiskey and managed to get it out of a third-floor window was welcome to it. You might think guests would gather to sample the product after a tour, just as they do at the Point Brewery. But not in Lynchburg or Moore County, which have been dry since Prohibition. Instead, the distillery offers complimentary lemonade. Later, I mentioned to our guide that I was a Tennessee Squire, and he directed us to a special room, where Squire Lady Irene Matthews greeted and entertained us with stories about famous people who took a fancy to Jack Daniel's whiskey. Irene was a most gracious hostess, and fulfilled her responsibility of promoting the Jack Daniel aura. In 1989, a friend had nominated me to become a Squire. I received a fancy membership certificate, and deed to a one square-foot plot of distillery land. Ever since becoming a Squire, I've received occasional humorous promotional letters from Jack Daniel representatives on the status of my land and their efforts to maintain it. As we sat in the paneled Squire room, Irene told us that President Harry Truman was fond of the product, and so was Frank Sinatra. She presented us with a gift box of Jack Daniel highball glasses. I was relating some of this information last week to the fellows who gather each Thursday morning for breakfast in downtown Stevens Point. That's when Mark Makholm mentioned that he, too, was a Squire. There may others around here. If you have time, you'll enjoy a visit to Lynchburg. To dine at Miss Bobo's, call a few months ahead at (615) 759-7394 for reservations. While the Jack Daniel employees display a wonderful down-home, folksy demeanor, don't let that fool you. Jack Daniel's ranked seventh in worldwide liquor sales in 1999, grossing $1 billion, (that's with a "B") 265 million. Those Tennessee hill folks know exactly what they're doing. You may reach Jim Schuh at The Gazette, or by e-mail at jpschuh@excite.com.