The MMTS was born on September 1st 2003. The idea for the Association was
the result of wanting to provide a way for local Tennessee Squires to meet one another and share their love of Jack Daniel's.
I became a Squire on November 17,2000. It was shortly after a visit to the
Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg,Tennessee. On our next visit to the Distillery I found that being a Squire got you treated
like royalty. They even have a Squire room at the new visitor center, where you will always leave with a very nice Squire
gift. Being a Squire was great, but I wanted to do more with it. Then the thought of putting together a group of Squires that
lived in Minnesota came to mind. The only problem was finding a way to contact Squires, since the mailing list remains confidential.
In April of 2003 Master Distiller Jimmy Bedford came to Minnesota for a Jack Daniel's
event sponsered by Sutler's Wine and Spirits. During the social hour I visited with people who were currently Tennessee Squires
to see if there would be an interest in organizing a local chapter.
Due to the great response, The Minnesota Members of the Tennessee Squire Association
(MMTS) was formed. Our innaugural event was held on September 18th 2003 at Alary's bar in St. Paul. We had 3 finished
Jack Daniel's barrels signed by Master Distiller Jimmy Bedford to be auction off at the event, with proceeds used to get the
MMTS started. Each barrel was auctioned off to the highest bidder. Everyone who attended also received free calenders,
keychains, stir sicks, brochures, and banners. A good time was had by all who attended !!!
As our Squire Association grows, we are looking forward to our next event, which is
sure to be filled with lots of great give-a-ways and surprises.
I would like to thank Jone Richardson from the Jack Daniel's Distillery for all
her help with the MMTS.
Tom Bondhus
Chairman - MMTS
