LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — During his lifetime, Jasper Newton Daniel or Uncle Jack, developed a reputation of being “The Donations Man.” In fact, one of his nephews famously joked that Jack would give away the entire distillery if they’d let him. That spirit still exists today as the distillery pitches in on everything from the local events like Frontier Days to Metro Emergency Services to the local animal shelter.
Each year, they send out a bound report highlighting their contributions and achievements from the previous year. Folks around Lynchburg opened their mailboxes this weekend to discover that report – The Jack Daniel Distillery’s annual Lynchburg Civic Report.
Some highlights from this year’s Distillery Report include:
1 Million Dollar Commitment — Jack Daniel’s exists as the single largest taxpayer in Moore County – accounting for more than 40 percent of all local government revenues, according to the report. In 2022, the distillery made an additional $1 million commitment over and above their tax obligations to be paid over the next five years. If you’d like to ready more about that commitment to local government, click here.
Supporting Our Military Folks – Jack Daniel remains committed to our military through programs like the annual holiday Barrel Trees and Operation Ride Home. In 2008, Jack launched an employee resource group for veterans, veteran family members, and employees who simply want to offer support. Jason Bobo and Justin Whelan co-lead the group. In 2022, they honored deceased veterans through the Wreaths Across America Program and participated in the annual Lynchburg 9/11 Memorial 5K in support of Tunnels to Towers. They also do community service projects like building wheelchair ramps for local veterans.
A Helpful Hound Named Hoss – Moore County’s own search and rescue hound, Hoss, was one of Jack Daniel’s more adorable charitable contributions in 2022. He’s the newest member of the Metro Emergency Management Services (EMS) Team and his purpose as a scent-discriminate bloodhound is to help protect the most vulnerable in Moore and the surrounding counties. He arrived in Lynchburg last May – thanks in part to the distillery. To learn more about the story, click here to read our original coverage.
Expanding Sustainably – Grain, water, and wood … those are the three natural resources used locally to produce whiskey and as demand for our local product increases around the world it gets harder and harder to maintain an environmental footprint as tiny as our county. In 2022, one of the most newsworthy changes revolved around the distillery’s dedication to producing whiskey sustainably.
Everyday they make it, Jack Daniel’s Distillery also produces around 500,000 gallons of spent distiller grains otherwise known as slop. They’ve partnered with local farmers for decades through the Feeder Cow Program to distribute spent grain as local cattle feed. As production increases and with local water quality in mind, Jack partnered with 3 Rivers Energy this year to turn the silage that local farmers can’t use into renewable natural gas and fertilizers through what is known as anaerobic digestion. To learn more about the Feeder Cow Program and 3 Rivers Energy Anaerobic digester, click here.
If you know anything about the whiskey-making process, you know that trees make up a considerable part of the natural resources needed to transform corn, rye, and barley into our local product. From the sugar maple charcoal used during The Lincoln County Process to the white oak barrels the raw whiskey is aged in, trees are essential. On any given day, over 20,000 barrels of whiskey sit in white oak barrels in rick houses spread across Moore and Lincoln counties. If demand were to ever outpace supply, bad things could happen. That’s one of the reasons the distillery participates in the DendriFund’s White Oak Initiative and the University of Tennessee’s Tree Improvement Project to ensure the availability of the white oaks used to make Jack Daniel’s barrels for centuries to come. They re-upped their commitments to both groups in 2022.
The final page of this year’s Distillery Report lists the nearly 150 non-profits, community organizations, and groups across the state that Jack Daniel’s supported in 2022. •
{The Lynchburg Times is a nonpartisan community newspaper serving Lynchburg, Tennessee and the surrounding counties. We also provide news and information for the 350,000 folks who come to Lynchburg to visit The Jack Daniel’s Distillery each year. We are dedicated to public service journalism for the greater good of our community. You can donate, by clicking here.}