Jim Myers

jtmyers@tennessean.com

For 150 years, to get the Jack Daniel's experience, you had to go to Lynchburg. Today, the storied Tennessee whiskey brand opened up its first brick-and-mortar outpost outside of Moore County.

In Marathon Village, the new Jack Daniel's Nashville General Store holds plenty of Jack-branded merchandise, but for Dave Stang, the director of events and sponsorships for Jack Daniel's USA, it's more of an enticing taste that will hopefully motivate folks to make the hour-and-a-half drive south to see the distillery.

"Not everybody can get to Lynchburg," says Stang, adding that his original idea of bringing Lynchburg to the people began as a doodle on a napkin while sitting at a bar in Las Vegas. He and his team eventually designed a full-size trailer that could travel to races and bull-riding events, helping spread the Lynchburg gospel.

Today, the road show has two trailers and an Airstream and visits more than 40 major events a year.

So what took them so long to open up a retail store in Nashville? The right opportunity and someone to take the risk, says Stang, referring to the location in Marathon Village and to Lee Wandling of ImageSeller, the merchandise marketing company that will be the operating partner.

The lagniappe of the space is that it's next to Antique Archaeology, the store opened five years ago by "American Pickers" host Mike Wolfe, and arguably the strongest tourist draw of the Marathon Village complex.

In addition to the usual Jack Daniel's hats, coasters and shot glasses, there is guitar art created from distillery ephemera by artist Carol Braden. Open only a few hours, the store had already sold one of the signature pieces, which cost $1,250.

For fans interested in the distillery, there's a 360-degree virtual reality video they can watch on special goggles. The store hopes to add more educational materials and memorabilia over the next few weeks.

One prop that caught visitor Jim Schrecongost's eye was a brand-new Indian motorcycle that will be used as part of the two companies' Bottle and Throttle campaign to curb drinking and motorbike riding. While not a big Jack Daniel's drinker, Schrecongost, who is visiting from Pennsylvania, said his son loved the brand and he was gift shopping. The limited-edition bike is painted in red and gold to honor firefighters and promote the distillery's full fire brigade.

That kind of education-promotion is more valuable than merchandise sales, says Stang.

While visitors will be able to engage their olfactory senses by smelling whiskey before and after the charcoal mellowing process, you won't find any on their tongue or in a bottle to take home until the store secures a liquor license.

Jack Daniel's Nashville General Store

Location: 1310 Clinton St.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week

Reach Jim Myers at 615-259-8367, on Instagram@culinarityand on Twitter@ReadJimMyers.