Touring JD and Dickel

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Touring JD and Dickel

Unread postby MikeK » Tue Jul 10, 2007 7:31 pm

I'm planning to swing through TN on the way to the Bourbon Festival this fall so I can visit Jack Daniels and George Dickel.

I'm looking for advice on getting the most out of the visit. I am aware that they both offer tours, but are there any special or back lot tours available if you ask the right way? What are the don't miss spots at or near each distillery? Etc...

Thanks!
Mike
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Unread postby bunghole » Tue Jul 10, 2007 8:25 pm

MikeK,

I thought that George Dickle was locked down tighter than a snare drum on viagra. I know that they are doing some short distillations from time to time in order to replenish stock, but I thought the distillery was closed to tours. I know that their website paints a picture as business as usuall, but we all know that isn't the truth.

Do you have inside intel that points otherwise?

Linn
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Unread postby MikeK » Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:01 pm

I know that they were more or less shut down a few years back, but it would appear they are back. From the website:

Distillery Tour Hours:
TUESDAY through SATURDAY 9am-4pm Except major holidays.
Last tour starts at 3:30pm

Should I doubt this and call to make sure?

Cheers,
Mike
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Unread postby bunghole » Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:47 pm

MikeK,

As much as it pains me to say, anything coming out of the mouth Diageo or from the Dickel website is suspect.

They have been known to tell...ummm...fibs.

=> Please note just how kind ima is being here. ima could have said...It's been well documented that Dickel and Diageo are nothing more than than a pack of bald faced liars!...but ima would never dream of stating such facts on the internet for all to see.

I'd call, and record their response. Not that they're not trustworthy.

Of course they always tell the truth!

:arrow: saintima :angel7:
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Unread postby bourbonv » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:07 am

It is my impression that they are open again for tours at Dickel. If so then plan to spend a good amount of time at Dickel because it has a very good tour. Jack Daniel is a tour on which you will have to share the time a guide with about 20 other people and shuttled around in a bus. Dickel will be much more individual and at least in my days at U.D., they had excellent guides that could answer any question in an intelligent manner. I hope they still have those same standards.
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Unread postby MikeK » Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:44 pm

I plan to spend Tuesday split between the 2 distilleries.
My rough plan so far is to start the day early at JD, take the tour, see the town, check out my "plot" of land, have lunch there at Ms. Bobo's, and then head over to Dickel for the rest of the afternoon or until they throw us out. Then head for Bardstown in the evening.

Cheers,
Mike
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Unread postby cowdery » Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:37 pm

I assume you're driving. If so, poke around for one or more of the off-site warehouse campuses. As pretty as the distillery site is, that's how ugly the warehouse campuses are. They have almost a Dickensian pallor to them. In part, this is because the warehouses are all surrounded by recently dug earthen berms. All of that raw dirt piled up beside those big, flat, grimy, metal boxes. It's the side of JD most tourists never see. That's deliberate, as they're set back away from the road and you have to look for them, but since there's nothing else in Moore County they're ultimately not hard to find.
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Unread postby MikeK » Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:52 pm

Thanks for the grim tip Chuck! Yes, I'm driving down to TN/KY this year. I hope it doesn't wipe me out too much. There are 2 of us so we can take turns napping. Besides other reasons I won't have to deal with all the new airport regs about carrying large quantities of flamable material! :D

I'll try to locate a nice herd of these warehouses off Google satellite so I can drive by and check it out.

Why the fresh earthen berms? Are they experimenting with climate control? Or is this to contain the whiskey in case of fire like I've seen around some WT warehouses?

Thanks,
Mike
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Unread postby cowdery » Thu Jul 12, 2007 2:18 am

Fire protection. All of the warehouses are sprinklered too.
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Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:39 am

If you can talk them into the trip, try to get the Dickel people to take you up to the warehouse on the hill. Dickel warehouses are the only single story warehouses I have seen besides the ones at Four Roses. The big difference between Dickel and Four roses is that Dickel's are on a hilltop and they do not try to keep down the temperature.
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