Jack Daniel's Launches "Toast to the Troops" Campaign

Company Donates $100,000 to USO; Distillery Workers, USO Volunteers and Families to Stuff Thousands of USO Care Packages

LYNCHBURG (pop. 361), Tenn. Jan. 15, 2005 - The Jack Daniel Distillery today officially launched its "Toast To the Troops" campaign that will allow citizens to send a special "toast" to the men and women of military serving abroad.

Folks can go to the Jack Daniel's website (www.jackdaniels.com) - must be 21 years or older; or fill out postcards at selected retail outlets to send their special messages of support for the troops.

The company will collect the toasts from February-July 2005, and then will host a "stuffing party" with Distillery workers, USO volunteers, military families and others to send the toasts along with USO Care Packages to our troops abroad.

The $100,000 donation from Jack Daniel's Distillery will help purchase the USO Care Packages that include an assortment of items men and women of the Armed Forces has specifically requested, such as disposable cameras, prepaid international calling cards,toiletries, and sunscreen. The Distillery and USO officials said they hope at the event to stuff several thousand USO Care Packages for the troops.

"This is just an effort on our part to help support the USO and provide another outlet for folks to demonstrate their love and appreciation for those serving in our armed forces," said Campbell Brown, National Brand Manager for Jack Daniel's. "We're behind our troops 100 percent and we want to take this opportunity to let them know how much we appreciate their dedication and service to our country. If there's any group deserving of a special toast, it's our servicemen and women."

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Jack Daniel's on this exciting project and certainly look forward to our upcoming stuffing party," Elaine Rogers, USO-Metro President and Worldwide Administrator for Operation USO Care Package. "We're always looking for unique ways for citizens to express their support for our troops, and giving them the opportunity to send their message in a special toast certainly fits that bill."

Because of heightened security, individuals can no longer send letters and packages addressed ëDeliver to Any Service Member.' Approved and endorsed by the Department of Defense, the USO Care Package is a way to send a message of encouragement to a service member and provide 'a touch of home'. The USO has sent out over 400,000 care package since the programs inception in 2002. More information on the USO Care Package program can be found on www.usocares.org.

An announcement regarding the date and location of the “stuffing party” will be made later this spring, the company said..

About Jack Daniel's
Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866, the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the oldest registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails.

About the USO
The USO (United Service Organizations) is a nonprofit, charitable organization and is not part of the federal government. The USO's mission is to provide morale, welfare and recreation-type services to uniformed military personnel. The USO operates 121 centers worldwide, providing an array of programs and services for military personnel and their families.

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