Jimmy Bedford (r), master distiller for the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and his wife, Emily (c), visited Lincolnton and the surrounding area recently at the invitation of Jim Reese (l), owner of Reese & Sons Floor Sanding & Refinishing. The Bedfords were in town to select new flooring for their home in Lynchburg. Jimmy Bedford, master distiller for the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and his wife, Emily, visited Lincolnton and the surrounding area recently at the invitation of Jim Reese, owner of Reese & Sons Floor Sanding & Refinishing.

The purpose of the Bedfords' trip was to select new flooring for their home in Lynchburg.

While in the area, the Bedfords and Reese toured three flooring plants in Augusta: Southern Wood Floors, Southern Wood Floors Mill, and Christian Mill Works.

They also visited various homes in Lincolnton, Washington, and McCormick to get an idea of how the different types of woods and finishes looked once they had been installed.

Included on the list were homes belonging to Gerald and Holly Lawson, Joey Joiner, and Joe Pundt, all of Lincolnton; Paul and Mildred Peeler and Jack and Laverne Harvey of Washington; and Frank and Rose Marie Nalevaiko, James and Carol Mavity, Ed and Alec Schissler, Bob and Joan Stockton, and Ed and Sue Devos, all residents of Savannah Lakes Village in McCormick, South Carolina.

Master distiller Jimmy Bedford poses with several barrels of Tennessee whiskey at the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg. The whiskey is aged for a minimum of four years in barrels made from American White Oak. As he was leaving each house, Mr. Bedford autographed a poster sporting his picture as well as a bottle of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey and presented them to the homeowners. The bottles of whiskey were furnished by Reese.

In addition, the master distiller visited Slaton Crossing in Washington, where he signed several bottles of Jack Daniel's. He likewise signed a bottle of whiskey for Steve de Shazo, owner of the Jockey Club, where he, his wife, and Reese had lunch one day.

Also during the Bedfords' visit to the area, they took a dinner cruise around Clark's Hill Lake on the Pinnacle III, a house boat belonging to Tommy Lee, a Lincolnton builder, and his wife, Lou. Others in attendance were Reese; his mother, Lillian; and Clay and Beth Antonakos.

The Bedfords spent the night at the Savannah Lakes Village Resort, compliments of Austin Tripp, resort president. The next morning, the couple toured the "Monticello" section of Savannah Lakes Village.

Commenting on his visit to the three-county area, Mr. Bedford said, "The area is very pretty. There are some nice homes around the lake - I didn't realize the lake was that large."

As for Lincolnton, he pointed out that he hails from a rural area and felt right at home. "The town is very wellkept. It is a pleasure to know that the people in this area try to maintain the historical integrity of their homes. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with some of the local residents."

He further noted that he and his wife also enjoyed touring the woodworking shops in Augusta.

When everything was said and done, the Bedfords chose to have antique reclaimed heart pine floors and black walnut floors installed in their home.

Besides Bedford, only five individuals have held the title of master distiller at Jack Daniel's during the 140-year history of the distillery, which is based in Lynchburg, the county seat of Moore County, one of Tennessee's few "dry" counties.

While his job involves overseeing the entire whiskey-making process consisting of milling, blending the ingredients with cave water, yeasting, fermentation, and distillation, Bedford admitted that one of the most important parts of his job is tasting the whiskey.

He regularly tastes new batches of Jack Daniel's whiskey in order to compare them to old batches to ensure that the whiskey remains consistent. However, when performing his taste-testing duties, Bedford is not allowed to swallow - he has to spit the whiskey out.

"People tell me I have more willpower than anyone they've ever known," he stated.

He went on to add, "The biggest constant in Lynchburg is Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, and it's my job to see that it never changes. If it does, I'm in trouble."

Despite having grown up on a farm only two miles from Lynchburg and having worked at the distillery for 20 years before assuming his current position, Bedford said he never envisioned that one day he would have one of the most important jobs in America.

The master distiller also serves as a goodwill ambassador for the company. After Lincolnton, his itinerary included stops in Wyoming, Hawaii, New York, South Dakota, and California.

The Jack Daniel's Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jack Daniel's whiskey is made using a process by which the newlymade whiskey is allowed to slowly drip through giant containers, hardpacked with 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal, thereby refining the spirit and giving it a unique flavor and aroma.

The whiskey is then aged for a minimum of four years in barrels assembled from American White Oak. As the whiskey ages, the wood contracts and expands with changes in climate. As this happens, the whiskey moves in and out of the wood, and the exposed compounds in the wood mix with the whiskey. This process gives the whiskey a smoky flavor and an amber tint.

One of 13 children, Jasper Newton "Jack" Daniel was born in 1850. At the age of seven, he was hired out to work with the family of Dan Call, a Lutheran minister who owned a whiskey still on the Louse River in Moore County.

Over the next several years, Daniel learned everything he could about whiskey-making from Call. Then, in September of 1863, under increasing pressure to devote his life to lifting spirits rather than selling them, Call sold his still to Daniel, who was just 13 at the time.

By 1866, the young entrepreneur had perfected the charcoal mellowing process that gives the whiskey its smooth character and special taste.

To mark his 21st birthday, he went on a shopping spree, purchasing a formal knee-length frock coat and a broad-brimmed planter's hat which would become his uniform for the rest of his life.

Though only 5'2" tall, Daniel's stature as a distiller continued to grow. In 1904, his whiskey was named the best in the world at the World's Fair held in St. Louis, Missouri.

Around 1905, Daniel arrived at work early one morning and tried to open the safe in his office. He could not remember the combination, so he kicked it in anger. The blow broke his toe and an infection set in. Eventually, the infection spread throughout his body, and he died from blood poisoning in 1911.

Buried in Lynchburg, there are chairs on both sides of Daniel's headstone. It is said that the chairs were placed there for the many ladies who mourned the passing of the successful bachelor.