Lynchburg, Tennessee is about more than Jack Daniel’s whiskey

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Randall Fanning is one of those people who you feel like you’ve known for a long time as soon as you meet him. He has an easy, unpretentious way of talking. He’s quick to laugh and to relate, and he’s open to sharing how his hometown helps to define who he is. “Lynchburg itself is kind of like a family atmosphere,” Fanning explains, “I always tell everybody if anyone honks their horn at you, they’re not telling you to hurry up. They’re just simply speaking to you.”

Fanning lives in Lynchburg, Tennessee, located in the south-central part of the state. The town is home to Cave Hollow Spring, which provides crisp, clean, pure spring water to the area, and to Jack Daniel’s Distillery. Most people from out of town will likely know Lynchburg by the Jack Daniel’s name, but this legendary whisky hub is also to a vibrant and dedicated community aside from making spirits.

Fanning, who has lived in Lynchburg since childhood, reflects on some of those traditions with nostalgia:”The week of the fourth of July we always had something called Frontier Days. All the business owners of Lynchburg would grow beards to see who could grow the longest beard the fastest.” That particular tradition hasn’t lasted, but Fanning isn’t opposed to the new ones taking its place. “We’ve got some good friends that’s moved in from Wisconsin, and basically they’ve been here now three years I think, and we have breakfast every Sunday morning together...from time to time we’ll have as many as 10 of our friends join us.”

When he’s not spending time with his friends and family, you can find Fanning at his second home: Jack Daniel’s, where he’s worked for 40 years. During his tenure, Fanning has done everything from entry-level assistant work to greeting VIPs. Now, he works in the company’s marketing department — and he’s not leaving anytime soon. In fact, he admits, he’s never wanted to leave Lynchburg. When you hear the way Fanning describes the town, it certainly doesn’t sound like a bad place to call home.