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Whiskey Weather: A Cozy Fall Guide to Tennessee Whiskey Country
It's that time of year when you step outside, catch a crisp breath of cool air, and suddenly want a sweater, a fire, and something warm in a glass. That's what we call whiskey weather. And if you're going to chase it anywhere, Southern Middle Tennessee is a great place to do it.
This region of the state is home to some of the most storied distilleries in the country, tucked into hollows where the leaves turn slowly, the roads wind through farmland, and nobody's in a hurry. Between tours, tastings, cozy cabins, quiet shops, and barbecue, there's no shortage of ways to settle into the season. Here's a look at what the region has to offer.
Start in Lynchburg
Lynchburg is the natural starting point, and the Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead and Welcome Center is the best place to begin. It's the town's free public parking lot, and inside you'll find regional information as well as a map of every business in Lynchburg.
Established in the 1830s and registered in 1866, the Jack Daniel Distillery is the first registered distillery in the United States and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In any given two-month stretch, visitors from all 50 states and more than 30 countries stop by to see where their favorite whiskey is made. Fall is a particularly good time to visit, when cool mornings make it easier to spot the steam rising off the stills, with rolling hills of orange and yellow as the backdrop.
A short walk away on the square, Company Distilling offers a newer story. Its founder and Master Distiller, Jeff Arnett, spent 20 years at Jack Daniel's, where he helped grow the product line from three to eleven and was named Master Distiller of the Year in 2017. Jeff felt called to start something of his own, and you can taste the care and experience in every pour.
Miss Mary Bobo's Restaurant has been serving up Southern cooking to anyone passing through for about as long as whiskey has been made in Lynchburg. It's built for a chilly day: warm comfort food, a glass of sweet tea, and a Tennessee welcome with every meal. No Lynchburg visit is complete without stopping in.
Where to Stay: Hilltop Homestead
If you want to make a night of it, Hilltop Homestead is a quiet cabin retreat just minutes from town and the distillery. Each cabin is handcrafted from timber cut on the homestead itself, with one room made entirely out of cedar. Settle into a rocking chair on the porch and you'll hear the nearby creek running in the background, with sweeping countryside views out in front of you. It doesn't get much cozier than that.
Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. (George Dickel)
Cascade Hollow has been making George Dickel Tennessee Whisky for generations. The water comes from a natural spring on the property, and everything is distilled in small batches. George Dickel believed whisky made in cooler temperatures came out smoother, so the whisky here is chilled to 40 degrees before it's filtered. It's the only stop on this list where the cold weather is practically part of the recipe. They also drop the "e" in "whisky" as a nod to Scotch tradition.
Nearest Green Distillery
Shelbyville is home to Nearest Green Distillery. Nathan Green, known to everyone as Uncle Nearest, has been called the best whiskey maker the world never knew.
The story starts just outside Lynchburg on the Dan Call Farm, where the outstanding whiskey coming off the still was Nearest's handiwork. After the Civil War ended and abolition became the law of the land, Nearest chose to keep working at the Call farm as a free man, providing for his family. His whiskey was soon known as far away as Huntsville and Nashville for its uncommon smoothness and character. Many believe he may have perfected what became known as the Lincoln County Process, where whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before aging in charred oak barrels. It's the step that defines Tennessee whiskey and sets it apart from every other distilled spirit in the world. Or, as the saying goes, it turns crystal clear water into gold. It's a story worth hearing on a cool fall day, preferably with a glass in hand.
For a cozy meal, Glass Hollow Table & Tavern sits in the heart of beautiful Historic Uptown Shelbyville. The locally owned steakhouse is housed in the Knox Pitts Hardware building and is an upscale spot that pairs Southern hospitality with a refined farm-to-table menu of dry-aged steaks, fresh seasonal dishes, and hand-crafted cocktails.
Shelbyville is also a great place to browse. Ole Grapevine Antiques, Yesterday's Treasures, and The Shops at Main and McGrew make for an easy, unhurried afternoon of hunting for vintage finds, which is about as fall as a day can get.
Where to Stay: Glass Hollow Rentals
You don't have to go far to settle in for the night. Glass Hollow offers four beautifully appointed short-term rentals just upstairs from the restaurant. They make an ideal home base for exploring what's often called the "Whiskey Triangle" between the Jack Daniel's, Cascade Hollow, and Nearest Green distilleries, and they're an easy walk to dinner when the evening turns chilly.
Prichard's Distillery and Downtown Fayetteville
Prichard's Distillery sits in a restored 1930s schoolhouse in Kelso. Phil Prichard incorporated the distillery in 1997 and opened it in 1999, carrying on a family distilling heritage that traces back to Benjamin Prichard in 1822. It's a charming building to wander through, and the lineup is especially tempting when the weather turns. Beyond the Tennessee Whiskey, Double Barreled Bourbon, and Rye, you'll find Double Chocolate Bourbon, a range of rums, and the best-selling Sweet Lucy liqueur along with several cream liqueurs.
Nearby, downtown Fayetteville is full of antique shops. Sissy's Antiques and Interiors, Fayetteville Antique Mall, and Flashback Antique Mall are all ideal for slowly wandering through shelves of vintage finds with a coffee in hand.
Where to Stay: Sasquatch Shack
Near Fayetteville, the Sasquatch Shack is a tiny home with a big personality, set on almost 10 private acres in the countryside. Inside, there's a king bedroom and a fun loft with two queen beds, a full kitchen, and fast WiFi. The screened porch has a dining table, so you can eat bug-free while listening to the woods. The fire pit is made for s'mores, stargazing, and swapping late-night "squatch" tales, and there's plenty of space to wander.
Big Machine Distillery and Lynnville
Big Machine Distillery in Lynnville is the primary production facility and historical home of Borchetta Spirits and Beverage Company. Sitting on 28 acres of rural Tennessee farmland in Giles County, the 20,000-square-foot facility houses both production and a tasting room.
The tour walks you through the whiskey library and every step of their process. It wraps up with a tasting where you can sample anything from the Borchetta Spirits and Beverage Company portfolio, which includes Big Machine Vodka, Borchetta Bourbon, Clayton James Tennessee Whiskey, and Abernathy Gin, along with rum, moonshine, and seasonal drinks. The bottle and gift shop is open daily if you want to take something home.
The town itself is worth a look. Lynnville is a quaint spot with a population of just 327 and a historic strip that's great for slow browsing. You can poke around the local shops, visit the railroad museum, and stop in at Col. Littleton, The Great American Leather Company. Col. Littleton designs leather goods and personal gear that reflect a respect for days gone by and the value of individual craftsmanship. Most products are hand-cut, hand-sewn, and hand-finished by skilled local craftspeople in the workshop right there in Lynnville.
Gobbler Springs Distillery and Lawrence County
Gobbler Springs Distillery is home to the first legal still in Lawrence County since 1821, when David Crockett's distillery was swept away in a flood. Its Sweet Mash spirits are made in small batches using the distillery's proprietary Lawrence County Process, with locally sourced grains, charred white oak, and pure water drawn from the Gobbler Springs property. It's a small, hands-on operation with real history behind it.
Out in Summertown, Shaffer Farms Texas Bar-B-Q and Custom Meats is the kind of stop regulars say is worth the drive. Everything is smoked on site in true Texas style, with brisket cooked for 22 to 24 hours. It's also a working butcher shop, so you can enjoy a plate in the dining room and then pick out steaks, bacon, and house-made sauces to take home. Grab an Arnold Palmer, settle in at a wagon wheel table or on the fan-cooled porch, and try the "Texassee" sauce.
Just up the road in Ethridge, the largest settlement of Old Order Amish in the South makes for a quiet detour. When you find yourself sharing the lane with a horse-drawn buggy, you'll know you've arrived in Tennessee's Amish Country. The community begins just north of Lawrenceburg and spreads out over several miles east and west of U.S. Highway 43. It has grown from three families who arrived in 1944 to roughly 300 today.
The handmade goods here are the kind you won't find anywhere else, including solid wood furniture, hand-stitched quilts, heavy-duty leather goods, and hand-woven baskets. There's also plenty to eat, like fresh-baked sourdough bread, fried pies, homemade jams, and sorghum. You can explore on a self-guided driving tour or book a horse-drawn wagon tour.
Whiskey Weather in Southern Middle Tennessee
Every stop in this part of the state has its own way of making the season feel a little warmer: a fire pit and a s'more after dark, a cabin porch with a creek running nearby, a slow-smoked plate of brisket, a back road shared with a horse-drawn buggy. Southern Middle Tennessee has been making something worth savoring for the better part of two centuries, and it's never more at home than when the air turns crisp. That's whiskey weather.
