At Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, there’s a secret room that tour guides are forbidden to mention. Behind its pine-trimmed doors, chosen whiskey enthusiasts gather in an exclusive space filled with historical treasures – but entry requires more than just a love for Old No. 7. You need to own a piece of the distillery itself, even if it’s just a square inch.
This peculiar ownership program, known as the Tennessee Squire Association, has roots in one of the distillery’s most challenging periods.
From Whiskey Shortage to Secret Society
In 1956, Jack Daniel’s faced an unusual problem: too many loyal customers and not enough whiskey. The distillery’s first National Sales Manager, Winton Smith, devised an ingenious solution to keep frustrated customers happy during post-war shortages – he would make them part-owners of the distillery itself.
Smith established the Tennessee Squire Association, offering devoted fans who couldn’t get their hands on bottles something arguably more precious: a square inch of unrecorded property on the distillery’s grounds.
What began as a clever customer retention strategy has evolved into one of whiskey’s most exclusive global membership programs, with Squires from around the world holding deeds to tiny parcels of Lynchburg soil.
How to Join Whiskey’s Most Exclusive Club
Becoming a Tennessee Squire isn’t as straightforward as simply signing up. The traditional path to membership requires nomination from an existing Squire – and each member can only nominate one person in their entire lifetime, making the invitation particularly precious.
New Squires receive an ornate gold-embossed deed certifying ownership of their plot at the Lynchburg distillery, along with an official membership card. This card is more than just a symbol – it’s the key to exclusive access at Jack Daniel’s, including entry to the mysterious Squire Room and the members-only Squire Tent at the annual Jack Daniel’s Barbecue.
The association maintains strict eligibility criteria. Potential members must be of legal drinking age, have no professional ties to the liquor industry, and be considered both a loyal friend of Jack Daniel’s and a respected member of their community.
Inside The Secret Room at Jack Daniel’s
At the heart of the Jack Daniel’s distillery lies a room so exclusive that tour guides aren’t even permitted to mention its existence. The Tennessee Squire Room, built just over a decade ago, is a 25×14 foot sanctuary where whiskey history meets member tradition, according to former Tennessee Squire Christian Grantham, who documented his visit in 2012.
Pine-trimmed walls and flooring create a warm, inviting space, but it’s what fills the room that captures the imagination. Every surface tells a story through artifacts and memorabilia contributed by Squires over the years, from vintage bottles to personal tokens of appreciation.
The check-in process itself is part of the mystique. Grantham describes waiting quietly in the main lobby until approached by staff. Even then, visitors find themselves in a gentle game of patience – the staff won’t mention the room until the visitor identifies themselves as a Squire, maintaining the air of secrecy that surrounds this exclusive space.
Preserving a Unique Whiskey Tradition
Today, the Tennessee Squire Association continues to blend whimsy with whiskey heritage. Members regularly receive playful correspondence about their tiny plots – from requests for grazing rights to alerts about troublesome possums, according to posts from Squires on social media platforms like Reddit.
While membership numbers remain closely guarded, the association has grown to include Squires from around the globe. Recent Reddit threads reveal an active community, with members sharing stories of inherited deeds, special bottle selections, and their quests to maintain family connections to this unique piece of whiskey history.
For Jack Daniel’s, the association represents something beyond marketing – it’s a living testament to the distillery’s ability to forge lasting bonds with its most devoted supporters, one square inch at a time.
