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Strange reason why people can't buy Jack Daniel's in the town it's made in

Home> News> US News

Published 17:27 19 Feb 2025 GMT

Strange reason why people can't buy Jack Daniel's in the town it's made in

Technically the law says you can't buy alcohol there, but there's a strange loophole you can use

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

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Jack Daniel's may be a drink you'll find behind countless bars around the world but in the place where it all comes from you're not actually allowed to buy alcohol.

It may sound weird to say that one of the world's most famous booze brands is distilled in a place which forbids the sale of alcohol but it's entirely true.

Of course that doesn't mean you can't actually visit the Jack Daniel's distillery and come away with a bottle of the stuff, they've found ways around that.

The Jack Daniel's distillery is located in the Tennessee city of Lynchburg in the US state's Moore County, and that place is something called a 'dry county'.

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The Jack Daniels distillery is located in a dry county, meaning it's not legal to buy alcohol there (Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The Jack Daniels distillery is located in a dry county, meaning it's not legal to buy alcohol there (Ron Buskirk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

What is a 'dry county'?

A dry county is one where it's illegal to sell alcohol, though you can still drink it so those visiting the distillery for a taste test won't be breaking the law.

It has posed some problems for Jack Daniel's throughout history, with the company having to move out of Tennessee after the state banned alcohol in 1910, a decade later the entire US would officially go dry.

While prohibition was repealed in 1933 it wasn't until 1938 that Jack Daniel's could start operating in Tennessee again, though Moore County has remained dry.

You can technically still buy Jack Daniels at the distillery, you're just buying the bottle and there happens to be alcohol in it as a gift (Andrew Woodley/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
You can technically still buy Jack Daniels at the distillery, you're just buying the bottle and there happens to be alcohol in it as a gift (Andrew Woodley/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The loophole

Fortunately for Jack Daniel's and the people who want to buy a bottle of the stuff when they visit the distillery, there exists a loophole where people are allowed to buy commemorative bottles and they just so happen to contain some free alcohol inside as a gift.

Technically nobody has bought or sold any alcohol in the transaction, it just so happened to be poured into this commemorative bottle that someone got.

A special act was passed through the Tennessee General Assembly in 1994 which allowed the sale of commemorative Jack Daniel's decanters, and therein lies the loophole.

Considering Moore County is a rather small place consisting pretty much just of Lynchburg, a city which reputes to be so small that it only has one traffic light and the Jack Daniel's distillery, it would likely be a simple matter to repeal Moore County's dry status.

However, there's a certain mystique and appeal to brewing the stuff in a place where it's technically illegal to buy alcohol.

Since there are some pretty clear ways around it this would seem to fall into the category of those old laws which still exist but aren't really enforced.

Featured Image Credit: John Keeble/Getty Images

Topics: Alcohol, US News, Weird

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

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@MrJoeHarker

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