B-F says Dawson will be joining the team and undertaking the role to help build appreciation, advocacy and awareness of the American whiskey category, by “driving excitement around Brown-Forman’s leading whiskey brand, Jack Daniel’s”.
Estimated to be worth over £2.2bn (Nielsen), the whiskey category is being driven by the American whiskey segment, which is worth nearly £660m and growing at 12%.
Dawson is said to have nearly a decade of bartending experience in a host of bars in the Brighton area including Plateau. Cam also won the Jack Daniel’s Birthday Cocktail Competition in 2009 with his serve Jasper’s Jam. The final took him to Lynchburg, Tennessee the birthplace of Jack Daniel’s.
B-F says it is investing in further education on top of the current American whiskey ambassador Tom Vernon and team of American Whiskey Specialists. It says trends “benefiting the category include premiumisation and provenance and a rise in cocktail culture in particular all things Americana”.
The role of the Jack Daniel’s Ambassador will see Dawson working with bartenders across the country. Dawson will be working alongside Tom Vernon and the American whiskey specialists, running training sessions, master classes, consumer and trade tastings, as well as working with bartenders on bespoke projects.
Dawson said: “Jack Daniel’s was the first whiskey I ever drank, which is quite ironic for a Scotsman, and since then the brand and its heritage has been a huge passion of mine. It is therefore a great honour to be appointed as the new Jack Daniel’s ambassador at Brown-Forman.”
