Pairing Bourbon And Football

Matching NFL Teams With The Perfect Bourbon

By Father John Rayls

Let’s say you have a little something riding on the 2017 NFL Season. Of course, all fans take a hit on a loss, whether it’s money, the embarrassment of rooting bigtime for the loser, a dent to city pride or even just to prove that we know more about the NFL than our friends. Winners make a payday and the elation and pride or a victory.

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One way to elevate those wins and take the edge off those losses is to have some good whiskey handy, and some whiskeys are more appropriate for certain teams. Bourbon was declared a “distinctive product of the United States” in 1964, and American football is a distinctively American sport, and that is just one way in which the two make a good pairing.

Here are five bourbon whiskeys for five popular teams:

The Patriots with Elijah Craig

A half-full bottle should
be fine for a year or more.
(Credit: John Rayls)

If you are, like my oldest son, a Patriot’s fan, you are probably used to people making snide remarks about your team (maybe even about you personally) because you are backing a perennial winner. Who doesn’t want to win year in and year out? We all do, but only the Patriots actually do it, so rooting for them leaves one open to charges of Johnnie-Come-Lately or fair weather fandom.

But it doesn’t really matter that you live in the area and have been a fan since before Brady was drafted 199th in the 6th round: give the rest of us a chance to experience winning, and if you do we’ll bring some Elijah Craig to the game. Actually, anything Elijah Craig would be appropriate. It’s consistently good, seasoned bourbon, just like the Patriots.

The Jets and Wild Turkey 101

At the other end of the spectrum are the New York Jets. This team has been hyped with promise and potentiality in the past, but this year many sportscasters are suggesting the potential of Jets going 0 for 16.

That’s rough. As fans of The Jets continue to search for a reason to live during this dark season, they should pour some Wild Turkey 101. It’s a strong, top notch bourbon whiskey that goes for low price. You’ll need something strong, and plenty of it, if you are rooting for The Jets this year.

The Raiders and William Larue Weller
Right now, Oakland is the team with the greatest potential. Of course, it doesn’t mean the Raiders will actually achieve that potential; it just means if everyone can stay healthy and perform, they could put the Patriots in their place in 2017. In particular, Derek Carr may be on the verge of greatness and could fully embrace his skills this year.

Matching that calls for The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection’s William Larue Weller. It’s a pricey, hard to find bottle of bourbon, making it perfect for breaking out as The Raiders make their way through the season, celebrating the milestones. Finish the bottle off when they either make the Super Bowl or fail to.

Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2015
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

The Browns and 1792 Full Proof

Cleveland is the team with an ancient and sorrowful history. This team has had an unbelievable number of number one draft picks (and recall how a team earns a number one draft pick?) And yet, they have squandered almost every one of them! The way their front office has been operated drives observers nuts!

Yet The Browns have some of the most loyal and die-hard fans. My brother-in-law bought his family season tickets again this year, even though they live three hours away. Loyalty like this in the face of impending doom deserves a special bourbon, and nothing short of Barton’s 1792 Full Proof can deliver the appropriate ease of consumption with the high proof necessary to actually watch the sad spectacle of a Browns game in person, all the while freezing critical parts of your anatomy off.

Houston and Garrison Brothers

If you are a fan of the Houston Texans, frustration might be your middle name, because their quarterback situation has been impossible for years. But, I for one am inclined to think 2017 might be a good year for Houston (hurricane not withstanding) and without a question Garrison Brothers Bourbon is what you want to go alongside that good year. It’s distilled just up the road from Houston in Hye, Texas and it is a grain to glass operation filled with Texas pride, Texas hope and Texas goodwill. This is the perfect solution to your frustration or lifting your spirits, and Garrison Brothers is now giving to the flood relief in Southeast Texas to boot.