Brown-Forman

Company Overview

Brown-Forman Corporation is one of the largest American-owned spirits and wine companies in the world. Founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1870, the company's portfolio includes some of the most iconic distilled spirits brands on the market: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Old Forester Bourbon, Herradura Tequila, and El Jimador Tequila, among others. With annual revenues exceeding $4 billion, Brown-Forman operates in over 170 countries and employs approximately 5,600 people worldwide.

The company is controlled by the Brown family, which holds super-voting shares, and has been publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange since 1933. Its flagship brand, Jack Daniel's, is consistently among the best-selling American whiskeys globally. Brown-Forman represents a uniquely American legacy — a family-controlled, heritage-brand company that, until 2024, had enthusiastically embraced the full spectrum of corporate woke ideology.

ESG & Sustainability

Brown-Forman has long maintained formal ESG commitments. The company publishes sustainability scorecards and tracks environmental metrics including renewable energy usage, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. Its Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority and Silicon Ranch to source 20 megawatts of solar energy. As of its last reporting cycle, 89% of Brown-Forman's electricity consumption came from renewable sources.

In 2025, the company "evolved" its environmental sustainability commitments, claiming to ground them in science and global best practices. The company has also made significant philanthropic contributions — in March 2024, the Brown-Forman Foundation committed $20 million to initiatives supporting sustainable living and arts and culture in Louisville, and an additional $2.5 million to Dendrifund for environmental conservation.

Brown-Forman's sustainability apparatus remains largely intact, which is why it retains a non-zero woke score even after its DEI rollback.

DEI Programs

For years, Brown-Forman was a committed participant in the woke corporate DEI ecosystem — participating in the HRC Corporate Equality Index (where it earned a perfect 100), linking executive compensation to DEI performance metrics, and maintaining supplier and employee diversity targets.

That changed in August 2024. Under pressure from conservative activist Robby Starbuck, Brown-Forman announced it was:

• No longer participating in the HRC Corporate Equality Index
• Eliminating executive pay links to DEI performance
• Scrapping employee and supplier diversity targets
• Scaling back broader DEI programming

As a result, Brown-Forman's HRC score fell from a perfect 100 to 75, and it lost its "Equality 100 Awardee" designation. The HRC characterized the move as an "abandonment of previously-stated commitments to inclusion." The company joins Harley-Davidson, Ford, Tractor Supply, John Deere, and Lowe's as companies that have rolled back DEI following Starbuck's campaigns.

Whether this represents a genuine values shift or merely a tactical retreat to avoid consumer backlash remains to be seen. For now, Brown-Forman has earned credit for moving in the right direction.

LGBTQ+ Advocacy

Prior to August 2024, Brown-Forman maintained a 100/100 HRC Corporate Equality Index score, signifying robust workplace protections for LGBTQ+ employees and active advocacy. The company's exit from the HRC index and its DEI rollback suggest a deliberate move away from prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy as a corporate priority.

However, it should be noted that Brown-Forman did not explicitly announce the elimination of LGBTQ+ workplace protections — it primarily dropped participation in external DEI benchmarking and advocacy. Internal non-discrimination policies may still be in place, which is an important distinction for both employees and consumers evaluating the company.

Political Activity

Brown-Forman has a meaningful political footprint. According to OpenSecrets data, the company contributed approximately $828,951 in the 2024 election cycle and spent $1.2 million on lobbying activities. Historically, Brown-Forman's political donations have leaned approximately 64% Democratic — a figure that stands in notable tension with the company's recent DEI rollback and its attempt to appeal to a more conservative customer base.

The company's primary lobbying interests center on alcohol excise tax policy, trade regulations, and interstate commerce rules affecting spirits — standard industry lobbying rather than ideological activism. However, the persistent Democratic lean in its donation portfolio suggests that while Brown-Forman may have stepped back from DEI, its political instincts remain largely left-of-center.

Consumer Impact

Brown-Forman is an interesting and evolving case for values-based conservative consumers. The company took a genuine and meaningful step by pulling back from DEI programs and exiting the HRC index — actions that deserve acknowledgment. Jack Daniel's and Woodford Reserve drinkers who were concerned about the company's prior woke posture have reason for cautious optimism.

However, Brown-Forman is not a clean bill of health. Its sustainability apparatus remains active, its political donations still lean Democratic, and it's worth watching whether the DEI rollback proves durable or is quietly reversed once the spotlight moves elsewhere. At a Woke Index score of 20/100 — Mildly Woke — Brown-Forman has earned a modest improvement in its standing, but it has not yet earned a full endorsement from the values-based consumer community.