“It is just our feeling that too little time is spent in this day and age enjoying the friendship of others. The Tennessee Squire Association is but one small attempt on our part to speak up.”
About this time last year I received my deed to a small, tiny piece of land in Lynchburg, Tennessee on the grounds of Jack Daniel’s Distillery. The micro lot of land is a part of being a member of The Tennessee Squire Association. The association was started to help keep happy fans of the Old No. 7 brand during a shortage in the 1950s. When the distillery was unable to supply all their admirers with Jack’s whiskey they kept in touch with everyone through letter writing. Call it a gesture of good will or marketing, but what truly happened was a friendship created between the residents of Lynchburg and loyal Jack drinkers around the world.
I have been to Lynchburg more than a dozen times. Each time I bring a friend along or make new friends while I am visiting. To me, Jack is just as enjoyable when visiting the small town with one stop light, as when it is served over ice or mixed with Coke. Lynchburg is a great community with very friendly people. Lynchburg’s extended family is really all over the world. When Chris is on the road in Minneapolis or wherever, he finds lots of eager friends to share stories of Jack Daniel’s with. Once when I was in Houston I made friends with a Squire. Just taking friends to visit Jack from other places is fun! Today was a really good day; we had a field trip to Jack with more friends!
Chris and I, along with friends, visited Prichard’s Distillery and Jack Daniels. He had invited one of his Booz Allen friends and I had invited a large Space & Rocket Center delegation to meet my friend Leesa at JD for a special day. Leesa and I have known each other for a few years, but our friendship was cemented when I discovered her appreciation and dedication to Jack Daniels. She asked if we could gather up a group of friends to do a whiskey tasting. This was not a difficult task.
If you are not familiar with Prichard’s Distillery, it is in Kelso, TN. It is a specialty brand that is small, so small that its pot stills are in an old school’s utility closet and the aging room is made of old shipping containers out behind the school. The small rum distillery has taken a rundown school in the middle of nowhere Tennessee and created a very successful small business out of a great hobby. Our group was lead around by Mrs. Prichard, the distiller’s wife. It is a great place to stop and enjoy a sip or two of Sweet Lucy, their most popular spirit.
The best part of the day was our lunch, a picnic! We had sandwiches and chips right outside the visitor’s center. The last time I visited Lynchburg there was snow on the ground. Today’s glorious weather was a great blessing after all the cold weather, but most of all it was a great setting for a wonderful lunch. Blue sky, warm temperatures, and a gentle breeze makes a sandwich taste better and a Sun Drop more enjoyable. But all of this stuff wouldn’t be glorious, enjoyable, or even fun without friends; and that is what Jack is all about. Well that and millions of dollars in federal tax revenue.