Carolina Panthers Celebrate 30 Years With a Cognac-Finished Bourbon Made by a Local Distillery

On Aug. 29, Southern Distilling Company unveiled the release of a limited-edition, small-batch wheated bourbon to honor the 30th season of the Carolina Panthers. Southern Star Paragon Cognac Finish hosts a suggested retail price of $99.95 and clocks in at 106 proof. Just 3,000 bottles are available. The release dropped just in time for football season.

“Fall means football season in the Carolinas,” Southern Distilling Company co-founder and CEO Pete Barger said in a news release. “As the Official Craft Bourbon of the Carolina Panthers, we are grateful to continue to expand our partnership with the team and celebrate three decades of Panthers football, over a decade of heritage distilling in North Carolina, and our second exclusive Panthers expression.”

Southern Distilling Company shared that the whiskey is a nine-barrel blend of six-year-old Paragon Wheated Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and Barger chose the barrels. The whiskey was finished in a barrel with virgin oak Cognac staves for approximately two years. It was bottled at cask strength.

The whiskey will be available at Southern Distilling’s tasting room. Those local within the Carolinas can also purchase a bottle at North Carolina ABC stores or specialized South Carolina shops.

Southern Distilling’s 30 Seasons offering is the second release within both brands’ collector’s series, and each release is launches in the fall . Both brands shared the bottle hosts a branded neck hanger and an eight-page guide celebrating the 30-year legacy of the Carolina Panthers.

“The limited-edition release and all the events we have planned in partnership with Southern Distilling Company will offer Carolina Panthers fans a unique and memorable way to commemorate our 30th season this year,” Vice President of Corporate Partnerships with the Carolina Panthers Dan O’Neill said in a statement. “Both organizations are proud to call the Carolinas home, and we’re excited to celebrate this milestone year together with our fans.”

Southern Star 2024 Carolina Panthers Limited Release Tasting Notes, via the brand

Nose: French vanilla, maple, roasted pecan.

Taste: Salted caramel, vanilla bean, cinnamon.

Finish: Vanilla, citrus and a light prickle of heat.

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