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Sweetens Cove Bourbon
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Peyton and Eli Manning at Sweetens Cove
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Master Blender Marianne Eaves
An all-star team launched Sweetens Cove Tennessee Bourbon in late May and already they’re jumping in to celebrate their passion for artisanship.
The bourbon itself, a collection of 100 barrels of Tennessee whiskey that was being stored in a warehouse in Kentucky, was blended here in Tennessee by Master Blender, Marianne Eaves, who made her name in Kentucky as the first female Bourbon Master Distiller since Prohibition. Her craft, as well as the unique South Pittsburgh golf course the bourbon was borne from, inspired the bourbon’s founders to collaborate with other artisans for a series of whiskey-centric products.
“We’ve met new friends who, like us, have a passion for Tennessee and the magic of treasure that can be created here,” says Mark Rivers, co-owner of Sweetens Cove Golf Course and co-founder Sweetens Cove Spirits Company. “Our first thought was to begin by finding products to help our fans and friends enjoy the bourbon, and we found an incredibly talented glass maker based in Knoxville named Matthew Cummings who owns Pretentious Glass Company.”
Pretentious Glass Company is known for producing high quality and stunning glassware for beer and is attached to a Knoxville’s Pretentious Beer Company where you can drink from their refreshing pints right beside their glass-blowing studio. For the Sweetens Cove X Pretentious Glass Co. Collaboration, Pretentious created custom-made, hand-blown whiskey glasses imprinted with the topography pattern of Sweetens Cove Golf Club. A set of two goes for $90 and will be available beginning this Wednesday, July 8.
Rivers says the idea for these artisan collaborations came from their own journey of creating a high-quality Tennessee bourbon. He likens it to a treasure hunt—and they’re searching for even more, he adds.
“These hand-crafting artisans [are] working from their shops and barns and warehouses to reveal something special and heart-felt.”
More collaborations are in the works, including a hand-crafted wooden serving tray produced by Honest Roots, of Burns, Tennessee, which will launch the week of July 12. They’re looking for other artisans and “kindred spirits” to continue the series, possibly even annually. The products will be small-batch and limited edition, much like the bourbon itself.
“This idea of pride in our Tennessee roots and sharing the story and passion is fundamental to all things Sweetens Cove,” Rivers says.
Sweetens Cove X Pretentious Glass Co Collaboration glasses will be available Wednesday, July 8 at sweetenscovespirits.com.