Jack Daniel Distillery is bringing a special Lynchburg holiday tradition to cities across the country this year, building whiskey barrel trees to help junior-enlisted service members and families travel home.
Ten years ago, the distillery built its first 26-foot tall tree made from 140 American white oak whiskey barrels in Lynchburg, Tenn., home of Jack Daniel’s. That tree will once again go up and replicas will be built in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Dallas, Boston, Las Vegas, Tampa, Cleveland, and Nashville.
As part of its “Operation Ride Home” program, the distillery and partner, the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), will auction off the top barrel of each tree with proceeds helping junior-enlisted service members and families travel home from their place of military service. Due to the current pandemic, travel for these heroes is on hold due to Department of Defense restrictions but will commence as soon as they are lifted. Since the program began in 2011, ORH has helped send a total of 8,583 individual junior-enlisted service members and their families home while raising $1.8 million in donations. Men and women from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard have been assisted with travel to all 50 states.
“The Jack Daniel Distillery barrel tree has always brought people together to celebrate the spirit of the season and remind us of the sacrifice of so many heroes and their loved ones” said Chris Fletcher, Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller. “We hope our friends will stop by and join us to reflect on this special time of year. After all, we all need some extra cheer this holiday season.”
Jack Daniel’s only uses new charred oak barrels to make its whiskey and they are never filled a second time. The barrels that will be used to build all the trees were earlier entrusted to mature the famed Tennessee Whiskey and will now be bringing another special holiday ‘spirit’ to many of their friends around the country.
The barrel tree auction begins December 1.