The Golden State Warriors might not be popping bottles of champagne in the locker room this season, but four-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry will be celebrating in the offseason with a different kind of adult drink: Kentucky straight bourbon Gentleman’s Cut, the first release from his new spirits business Game Changer Distillery.
SC30 Inc., Curry’s brand studio, announced the partnership Tuesday with John Schwartz, owner of Napa Valley’s Amuse Bouche Winery, to create Game Changer Distillery, a joint venture with 190-year-old Boone County Distilling Co. which will oversee all aspects of production from distillation to aging to bottling of Gentleman’s Cut.
Game Changer is not the first partnership between the Curry family and the Amuse Bouche winemaker. Schwartz partnered with Curry’s wife Ayesha and sister Sydel on wine label Domaine Curry in April 2018. The 3-SKU wine brand included a red blend called Gentleman’s Cut, in honor of Stephen and his former teammate and Sydel’s husband Damion Lee. Domaine’s inventory is currently sold out on its website.
Gentleman’s Cut is a five-to-seven year aged bourbon crafted with 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley and distilled in 500-gallon copper pot stills. The final product is a 90-proof spirit that will retail for $79.99 per 750 ml bottle. The first release is 10,000 cases with no plans to expand the portfolio at the moment.
“Celebrations take on many different forms, from intimate gatherings to major milestones, and at the center of each memorable moment is a spirit rooted in history and tradition,” said Curry in a press release. “I’m proud to have helped carefully craft a new signature Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Gentleman’s Cut. This rich, complex and bold bourbon is the perfect offering to commemorate life’s great occasions, and will be part of a raised-glass toasting moment in the lives of my fans, friends and family.”
Game Changer has signed a national distribution agreement with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits as well as an international deal with China Duty Free Group to put the bourbon in 200 stores over 70 cities worldwide.
Curry is just the latest in a series of high-profile celebrities and professional athletes to put their name and resources behind new liquor brands.
Curry was also an investor in oxygen-infused water brand OXIGEN.