The Democracy team experienced Lynchburg, Tennessee for the first time this weekend at the Jack Daniel’s 21st Annual Invitational BBQ championship, staged in the grounds of the legendary Tennessee whiskey distillery.

16 competition winners from the UK, plus one journalist from The Grocer joined us for the experience. The event (and our client the Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauces brand) had been promoted across the national press including the Telegraph, Men’s Fitness and the Express, along with supermarket media Asda, Sainsbury’s and Delicious magazine.

The winners (and The Grocer) boarded the plane at Heathrow on Thursday and headed off for a five day whirlwind trip to the USA.

First stop, the Hilton in Nashville and a night of country and western in the many music bars in the city. After crashing out fairly early on (jet lag!) we awoke refreshed for what promised to be a day of exceptional eating . . . .a hearty breakfast, followed by a traditional deep south lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s boarding house, a tour of the distillery, tasting session and dinner on BBQ Hill.

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