LYNCHBURG, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Five North American Mallard ducks have completed their service as famed ambassadors of The Peabody Memphis hotel and now will live out their years at another world famous Tennessee landmark – the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg. It has been 80 years since the ducks first arrived at the hotel, and is the first time that Peabody Ducks have been retired to any location other than their private Memphis farm.
According to legend, ducks arrived at The Peabody in 1933 after the general manager and a friend returned from a hunting trip. The two had enjoyed a bit of Lynchburg’s hometown product and decided to place their live duck decoys (which were legal at the time) in the hotel’s lobby fountain as a prank. Hotel guests loved it and the rest is history.
“Jack Daniel’s and the Peabody Ducks have been connected from the very beginning so it’s only natural that we would welcome a few of our webbed-footed friends to the Distillery,” Master Distiller Jeff Arnett said. “These will be some of the best cared for ducks in the world, feasting on the same quality grain and cave spring water we use to make our whiskey. I guess you could say these ducks are getting the ultimate holiday present.”
The ducks took their final march in Lynchburg today, following Duckmaster Anthony Petrina and Arnett down red and black carpets and into a pond just below the distillery’s cave spring. Wild ducks have lived on the distillery property for decades and Petrina said the Peabody Ducks will be right at home in Lynchburg.
“We’ve always held Jack Daniel’s in the highest regard at The Peabody. Not only because it’s a point of state pride that it is a Tennessee whiskey, but because we know it’s entirely possible that without Jack Daniel’s and the warm companionship of friends on that cold night in 1933 there might not be ducks at The Peabody today,” said Peabody Duckmaster Anthony Petrina.
The Peabody’s well-known ambassadors always include one drake and four hens. The ducks are raised by a local farmer and friend of the hotel. Each team lives in the hotel for only three months before being retired from their Peabody duties. Typically, they are returned to the farm to live out their days as wild ducks.
***For b-roll and images from today’s duck walk at the Jack Daniel Distillery, and the ducks’ final walk at The Peabody on December 11, please contact Jill Meyer at (615) 973-7319, jill.meyer@dvl.com.
About Jack Daniel’s
Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866 and based in Lynchburg, Tenn., 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. Jack Daniel’s 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, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey-Based Ready-to-Drink Beverages and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails.
Jack Daniel’s encourages its friends to drink responsibly.
About The Peabody Memphis
A Memphis landmark, The Peabody opened in 1869 and quickly became the business and social center of the South. The hotel became famous for its resident ducks and their daily red carpet marches through the Grand Lobby. Today The Peabody continues its distinction as the “South’s Grand Hotel” and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
