Sespe Creek Distillery has announced Warbringer Bullet Edition, the first in a series of whiskey releases with two-time UFC Champion Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko. The single-barrel pick pairs Shevchenko with Master Distiller John Campbell, whose 16-year tenure at Laphroaig is among the longest at the Islay distillery.
Warbringer Bullet Edition is bottled at 114 proof (57% ABV) and limited to 170 bottles at an SRP of $95. The mash bill is 65% mesquite-roasted Bloody Butcher red corn, 10% hand-roasted yellow corn and 25% malted rye, and the whiskey is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Expect honey sweetness, then spice, eucalyptus and smoke.
“This is Valentina’s Whiskey, and so the process was all about finding something she genuinely delighted in,” says Campbell. “We tasted through a lot of different barrels, but when she blind selected the Bloody Butcher, it was like ‘Ahh right, of course!’ It was a fun moment. She picked a delicious barrel.”
Says Shevchenko, “This Barrel has the taste that I love. There was a rich, earthiness to it like being outdoors, and also sweetness and eucalyptus, which reminds me of home. The smoke I also love. In Kyrgyzstan, we cook over open fire. So that smell is family; it is a celebration.”
Release date and where to buy
Bullet Edition debuts Nov. 3 at the Warbringer online store (WarbringerBourbon.com) and in limited quantities at select retailers in California, Texas, Arizona and Colorado.