Here’s the story behind The Forum’s whiskey barrel Christmas tree

Every December, the Forum lights up a towering Christmas histrion successful its parking batch adjacent the country of Prairie and Manchester avenues to invited guests to its extremity of the twelvemonth concerts.

But connected Tuesday nighttime the iconic performance venue debuted a unsocial summation to its vacation decor.

In beforehand of a tiny gathering of staff, property and assemblage members, they lit up a caller vacation tree, 1 comprised of 144 Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrels that erstwhile aged the fashionable spirit. The Forum partnered with the Lynchburg, Tenn. whiskey shaper to bring 1 of the company’s 13 tube vacation trees to Southern California for the precise archetypal time.

“Jack Daniel’s has specified a affluent past successful euphony and we similar to bash everything we tin to necktie into that practice from each the radical who drank it implicit the years —  similar Keith Richards and Tom Petty, and present we person a batch of state stars similar Chase Rice and you sanction it — but with that past and the Forum being specified a legendary euphony venue, it makes sense,” said Colin Coleman, the Southern California marque ambassador for Jack Daniel’s.

Each year, Jack Daniel’s constructs these seven-tier tube trees successful large cities passim the state to observe the season. The histrion takes astir 8 hours to physique and each tube weighs astir 127 lbs.

The institution past auctions the barrels that apical the trees to payment its Operation Ride Home program, which helps inferior enlisted members of the subject and their families question location from their spot of work for the holidays. Jack Daniel’s and the Armed Services YMCA launched this programme successful 2011 and to day person raised implicit $2 cardinal successful donations, Coleman said.

Bidding for the top-tier barrels volition statesman connected Wednesday, Dec. 1 astatine jackdaniels.com.

“These things merchantability similar hotcakes,” Coleman said, adding that the barrels are lone utilized erstwhile to property the whiskey and are past sold disconnected to consumers oregon different tone makers. Through his years with the company, helium says he’s seen radical repurpose the barrels arsenic tables for their location bar, patio oregon bath decor and adjacent chopped successful fractional and utilized arsenic planters.

As for the other barrels, the Forum is presently moving the Make It Count sweepstakes connected its authoritative website done Wednesday, Dec. 8 astatine thelaforum.com/jdbarreltree. They volition take 7 winners to person 4 tickets to immoderate amusement astatine The Forum with Forum Club entree and VIP parking, arsenic good arsenic 2 barrels from the Jack Daniel’s tube vacation histrion and a Jack Daniel’s prize pack. Entrants indispensable beryllium 21 and older to enter.

Kimberly Cantor, vice president of selling partnerships astatine the Forum, said the remaining barrels volition beryllium utilized arsenic tables successful the eating and drinking areas successful the outdoor terrace.

“The histrion we bash successful our parking batch for our assemblage has ever been a fantastic cardinal focal constituent for sure,” she said. “But it feels bully to say, ‘Hey, that apical tube is going to assistance reunite subject families’ and those barrels extremity up going for thousands of dollars, which is truthful wild. The tube histrion has been retired successful our parking batch for astir 2 weeks present but lit up, it’s festive, it’s beauteous and it’s successful a disposable country for radical coming into The Forum oregon adjacent SoFi Stadium. It decidedly adds a festive vibe.”