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When brands promote a culture of bigotry

December 24th, 2013 No comments

cracker barrel

Recent comments by reality TV star Phil Robertson have provided yet another opportunity for Americans to learn what is and isn’t protected by the First Amendment, among other things. Here’s what he said:

On vagina and anal sex:
“It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

On “blacks” of pre-civil-rights-era Louisiana:
They’re singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, ‘I tell you what: These doggone white people’—not a word!… Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues.”
[What The Duck? – GQ Magazine – Jan. 2014]

Duck Dynasty’s host A&E promptly suspended Robertson who has made far worse comments. Whether you share his beliefs or not, most people reading this post understand the Constitution protects our choice of speech from government actions, not the consequences from private citizens. That fact hasn’t stopped a contrary perception from being the perennially memetic teaching moment it has become.

Yes America, if it is not obvious, you have the right to be a moron. What is new is how some corporate brands have been willing to embrace and promote bad messages out of a belief they are standing up for the United States Constitution or large groups of customers. The latest example is Tennessee-based Cracker Barrel.

“You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren’t shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong. We listened. Today, we are putting all our Duck Dynasty products back in our stores. And, we apologize for offending you.”

By pledging to keep Duck Dynasty products on their shelves, Cracker Barrel has chosen to use their brand to amplify a culture of bigotry. By further issuing an apology to angry customers who support Robertson’s comments, Cracker Barrel’s actions invested their entire brand into the content of Robertson’s character.

BRAND PROBLEM: The temptation brands have to resist in deciding whether to take sides on the social issues of customers nowadays is assuming the loudness of one message or another is somehow a measure of its morality or the justness of its cause. Another temptation brands have to resist is thinking customers are a monolithic “you” who share beliefs instead of sharing values.

BRAND SOLUTION: Most every successful American brand has a mission statement and expressed values that nearly always reflects the ideas of the kind of America we all want to see. No one would fault a company for choosing to echo their more established values over the angry noise of America working out what it believes along the way.

It’s too bad some brands find themselves with a calibre of leadership that doesn’t simply adhere to the wisdom and values of their own carefully crafted mission statements, but now that corporations are starting to act more like people it’s getting easier to discover just what kind of people they want us to know they are.

A&E TV with shit on itUPDATE 12-27-13: Well, that suspension lasted all of zero episodes. Phil Robertson is back on A&E resonating with ad dollars and America’s heart. Here’s A&E explaining why they changed their minds.

“But Duck Dynasty is not a show about one man’s views. It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family … a family that America has come to love.”
[A&E Welcomes Phil Robertson Back to ‘Duck Dynasty’ – The Hollywood Reporter – 12-27-13]

Short Mountain Shine now in East Tennessee stores

October 6th, 2012 1 comment

Barrel Charred Shine from Short Mountain Mini Barrels

August 31st, 2012 1 comment


They’re here! Short Mountain Mini Barrels available at the Still House Store Saturday Sept. 1

Make your own Barrel Charred Shine
Give your authentic Tennessee Moonshine the age of a fine Bourbon with our 2 liter Short Mountain Mini Barrels. Each new charred White Oak barrel fits two 750ml bottles of spirit and can be used several times with proper care. Making “charred Shine” takes days as opposed to months or years in larger barrels.

Short Mountain Mini Barrels retail for $55 and will be available at Short Mountain Distillery starting Saturday September 1. They will be available online in October. Each mini barrel includes the barrel, bung, spout, stand, instructions and sanitizer.

Charred Shine can be enjoyed like a fine Bourbon as a drink or in food products such as: Charred Shine BBQ sauces, donut glazes, or flavoring in chilies, soups or baked sweet treats.

How To Use Short Mountain Mini Barrels

  • Be sure spout is secure in the barrel. Remove bung, fill with warm water, close, wrap with a moist towel for a few hours. This will swell and seal the oak wood.
  • Remove water. Select a fine unaged whiskey, like Short Mountain Shine! Pour into barrel and leave to age to preferred taste. Enjoy your charred Shine responsibly!

Proper care and tips:

  • Keep barrel in alternating warm and cool environments to expand and contract spirits in and out of the oak.
  • If storing barrel between uses, use enclosed sulfite tablet for at least a day before rinsing and reusing, especially if using well water. Dissolve pill in water, pour water into barrel and allow to sit for a day to sanitize if using well water. Do not allow barrel to dry out and crack. Wrap with moist towel to seal any external cracks.
  • Remove bung when using spout to allow spirit to flow.

Short Mountain Shine now in Middle Tennessee stores

July 18th, 2012 7 comments

It’s official! You can now buy a bottle of our 105 Proof Authentic Tennessee moonshine in stores across Middle Tennessee.

It’s quite a site to see our county’s history and heritage in a bottle on a store shelf, and we are mighty grateful to all the support we’ve gotten from thousands of you who have visited our distillery since we opened in March.

We also want to thank all the retail store owners and their family and friends who came out to our official Middle Tennessee launch party last night at City House. The crowd was about twice what we expected, but Peg Leg Porker Pitmaster Carey Bringle kept everyone delightfully stuffed with a whole pig. The Jake Leg Stompers brought the Bluegrass while the DrinkMusicCity crew kept drinks flowing with four new Moonshine cocktail recipes we’ll share with you in a couple of days.

Here are a few stores that carry Short Mountain Shine in the Middle Tennessee region. Follow us on Facebook for future launch parties in Knoxville, Memphis and Chattanooga!

Stones River Total Beverage Smyrna’s Divine Wine & Spirits Bill’s Package (Manchester) Bubba’s Wine & Liquors
Celebration Liquors Center Point Liquors Champion Discount Cheers Wine & Liquor (Gordonsville)
Cheers Wine & Liquor (Lebanon) Sinker’s Wine & Spirits CNG Wine & Spirits Del Rio Wine & Spirits
Discount Liquor & Wine (Melrose) Fuzzy Duck Liquors Red Dog Wine & Spirits Hudson’s Wine & Liquor
Jackson’s Bar & Bistro LaVergne Beverage Depot TLC Liquors & Wine Liquor World (Nashville)
Major Discount Liquors Murfreesboro City Limits Murfreesboro Wine & Spirits Oasis Package Store
Old Hickory Wine Parkway Wine & Spirits Short Mountain Distillery Metropolitan Wine & Spirits
City House Stones River Liquors Interstate Liquors Spirits of Nissan Drive
Meadows Liquor Midstate Wine & Spirits Oak Liquor Store Old Fort Liquor & Wine
Longhorn Liquors 96 Liquor & Wine Joe’s Liquor University Package Shop
Gordonsville Discount Liquors Boro Liquors Center Point Liquors Southern Spirits Discount
Social Delberts Wine & Spirits Crossroads Wine & Spirits Chill Wine & Spirits
Favorite Liquors Carroll Street Liquor Store Wine Chap All American Wine & Spirits
Smyrna Liquors Jefferson Wine & Liquor Woodland Wine Merchants Parkway Package
Riverbend Package Store Riverbend Wine & Spirits Liquor Locker J. Barleycorn’s Wine & Spirits
North Jackson Wine & Spirits Nashville Daily Spirits Mulligan’s Wine & Spirits Whiskey Bent Saloon
Sango Wine & Spirits Mr. Whiskers Grace’s Plaza Wine & Spirits Riverstone Wine & Spirits
Liquor Locker Frugal Macdoogal Queen City Liquors Play Dance Bar
Gaylord Opryland Hotel Hillsboro Village Wine & Spirits Sinker’s Wine & Spirits Bluegrass Beverages

Short Mountain Distillery launches online store

July 16th, 2012 2 comments

Here’s an easier way to share a little bit of your Short Mountain Distillery experience this Summer with friends and family. Ship them one of our awesome hats or t-shirt from our newly launched online store!

Nothing beats visiting the distillery and experiencing the making of our authentic Tennessee Moonshine quite like the mementos that remind you of when you were there. It comes a close second to the kinship of seeing someone else wearing a Short Mountain t-shirt!

The state of Tennessee won’t allow us to export our fine authentic Tennessee moonshine to foreign states like New York or California using such space-aged technology, but over time we hope to grow our selection of items that capture the Short Mountain experience. If there’s something you’d like to see added, don’t hesitate to give us a shout.

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