Jack Daniel’s toasts the on-trade

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey has announced a significant expansion of its support for the UK on-trade, launching a new advocacy initiative designed to celebrate the resilience of the bartending community following half a decade of industry challenges.

The centrepieces of the campaign are “Jack’s Table,” an exclusive hospitality event in mid-March, and a high-level brand immersion trip to the historic Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. 

The initiative follows a period of aggressive market share growth for the brand. Between September and December 2025, Jack Daniel’s saw its UK market share rise from 2.77% to 3.38%, supported by a 7.0 percentage point improvement in volume sales performance.

Brown-Forman, the brand’s parent company, attributes much of this success to its “Paint the Town Jack” and “Jack’s Birthday” activations, which reached over 7,200 venues and engaged 2,300 bar professionals last year.

“We recognise the profound influence that industry professionals have on our business success,” said Nidal Ramini, advocacy director at Brown-Forman. “Recent data indicates that the average bartender makes nearly 11,000 drink recommendations annually. Their influence is immense, and we are committed to empowering them to confidently recommend Jack Daniel’s as a premium choice.”

The ‘Jack’s Table’ event will host 70 select bartenders for an evening of food, live music, and whiskey education, intentionally designed as a night off for hardworking hospitality staff.

In a move to provide long-term inspiration, a small number of attendees from the event have been awarded a money-can’t-buy trip to Lynchburg. This immersion trip will provide a deep dive into the brand’s heritage, the unique charcoal-mellowing distillation process, and the culture of its Tennessee hometown.

The new strategy moves beyond traditional point-of-sale (POS) support to focus on authentic brand storytelling. By bringing bartenders closer to the source of the whiskey, Jack Daniel’s aims to turn industry professionals into brand disciples.

“Authenticity is paramount to us,” added Ramini. “As Mr. Jack Daniel himself said, ‘Every day we make it, we’ll make it the best we can,’ and this commitment extends to all our advocacy work.”

For the UK on-trade, the initiative represents a welcome investment at a time when the hospitality sector is navigating rising costs. By focusing on the human element of the bar, Jack Daniel’s is betting that the path to the consumer’s glass is paved by the recommendation of a well-trained, highly-valued bartender.