Sespe Creek Distillery of Oxnard, California, has announced a new partnership with reigning UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko.
The collaboration will focus on a series of small batch bourbon releases under the distillery’s Warbringer brand. This move follows the distillery’s prior releases with MMA fighters Josh Barnett and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Master Distiller John Campbell Joins the Project
Shevchenko will collaborate closely with John Campbell, Warbringer’s Master Distiller and former distillery manager at Laphroaig in Scotland. Campbell recently relocated to California to lead operations at Sespe Creek. “Valentina brings this intensity and focus that I can relate to — it’s the same mindset I’ve brought to whisky making for over 30 years,” said Campbell. “We’re both obsessed with our respective crafts, with doing things properly, and with pushing limits.”
Bourbon Meets Combat Sports in Unique Collaboration
This partnership was announced just two days after Shevchenko’s 10th successful UFC title defense at UFC 315. She joins Warbringer as the latest elite MMA athlete to collaborate with the brand. CEO Alfred English commented, “John and Bullet are united by their shared obsession with their respective crafts. Through this partnership and the bourbon we release together, we hope to reset the standards for flavor, innovation, and authenticity.”
Shevchenko Brings Discipline and Craft to Bourbon
Valentina Shevchenko, a native of Kyrgyzstan now based in Las Vegas, is an eight-time World Champion in Muay Thai and holds a black belt in Judo. With 25 UFC victories, she is one of six fighters to win at least ten title bouts. “I have such deep respect for creativity and artistry of all kinds,” Shevchenko stated. “The discipline required to be great at what you choose to do in life… resonates with how I live my life both in and out of the Octagon.”
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