by KYLE SWARTZ

Beverage Dynamics : What attracted you to becoming chairman of Responsibility . org ? Robert Hall : The motto of Responsibility . org says it all — Responsibility Starts with Me . As the CEO of Ole Smoky , I ’ m dedicated to the mission and vision of Responsibility . org . Ole Smoky distillery welcomes more than five million people each year through our doors , and we want them to understand that we stand firmly against youth access to alcohol . We don ’ t want anyone to be on the road with drunk drivers , and we will work hard to keep our roads safe . Finally , we want to be a part of the solution . When people choose to drink , we want them to do so responsibly . Leslie Kimball : I often say that our member companies — their employees — are the best examples of responsibility that we have . They are the embodiment of years — generations — of hard work in business , agriculture , science — all of it .

BD : What do you hope to accomplish during your time as chair ? RH : My focus is to keep the ship on the course that Responsiblity . org has been on for the last 30−plus years . But like everything — bigger and better . We want to become a household name when it comes to all things responsible , so we will continue to work with our board and on Capitol Hill to keep our finger on the pulse of progress . We want to nurture our membership and watch it grow so we can increase the reach of our programs and ultimately reach the missions of the organization when it comes to safety , saving lives and enjoying distilled spirits responsibly .

What programs are you most proud of at Responsibility . org ? LK : It ’ s impossible to pick just one . It ’ s like asking a parent to choose a favorite child . But as a parent myself , the programs that Responsibility . org has in the underage drinking prevention space leave a great impact . Our Ask , Listen , Learn underage drinking prevention program has been around for more than 20 years . It ’ s gone through pivots and iterations to ensure it aligns with science and what kids are doing , learning and experiencing .

We always try to meet parents where they are , so we also have a robust network of content creators and parents who know all about the importance of conversations — starting them early and having them often . RH : Our newest program is Responsibility Works . This is an alcohol education program for anyone . It educates people about alcohol in general : What a standard size drink is and how alcohol affects the body . This is a fantastic tool to educate people throughout the country to make them more aware and therefore more responsible when it comes to decisions about alcohol in the real world . LK : I ’ ll just add that the Virtual Bar is something I think every adult of legal drinking age should have on their phone . It ’ s not intuitive for some to understand how alcohol affects their [ blood alcohol content ], so this is a tool that we can all use to help us understand how alcohol beverages will affect not only our BAC but also how that makes us feel . It takes your weight , gender , height and food and beverage intake , and gives you an estimate of how your blood alcohol content may be affected . I think it ’ s a great safety and planning tool .

BD : Rhetorical question , but why is the work of Responsibility . org so important ? RH : The work is important because responsibility is leadership . It ’ s knowledge . It ’ s keeping each other safe . And Responsibility is about celebrating

4 Drink Responsibly 2024