Peyton Manning launching Tennessee-based bourbon

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 10: Peyton Manning on the sidelines before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 10, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 10: Peyton Manning on the sidelines before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 10, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Former Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning has an alcohol brand.

He was all about Budwesier when he won his last Super Bowl. However, former Tennessee football quarterback Peyton Manning is now getting into the distillery business, and he is set to launch a Tennessee-based whiskey called Sweetens Cove Bourbon.

According to a report by Aaron Goldfarb in Esquire, the business stemmed from when the UT legend and future NFL Hall-of-Famer partnered with Andy Roddick and Jim Nantz last year to purchase Sweetens Cove Golf Club, a nine-hole based golf course outside of Chattanooga, Tenn. The group acquired about 100 barrels of 13-year-old Tennessee bourbon.

Distiller Marianne Eaves has been tasked with blending the alcohol. It was set to launch in March, according to Manning, but it was pulled due to coronavirus. However, 14,000 bottles will now be available May 26 via pre-sale, and it is expected to reach other markets by June. The alcohol itself is 102.18 proof.

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Of course, given the fact that Peyton Manning is synonymous with Gatorade, Papa John’s Pizza and Nationwide Insurance throughout his career, bourbon is definitely a way for him to branch out. Manning himself noted he is more of a beer drinker given his roots growing up in New Orleans and the fact that his dad drank beer. However, it makes sense for him to dive into bourbon.

Manning’s adopted home state has been Tennessee ever since he played for the Vols in the mid-1990s. His wife is from Memphis and actually worked in Chattanooga for three years, so this is a great connection for him.

How well it works out remains to be seen, but everybody knows that Peyton Manning is a known perfectionist in everything he does. As a result, he will do whatever he can to make sure this bourbon remains pristine and is in the sprit of Tennessee. Simply put, with him at the helm, this could definitely be a top shelf bourbon.