Wolf Spirit’s Puncher’s Chance Bourbon announces the fifth release in its award-winning portfolio of fine whiskeys. Puncher’s Chance THE UNIFIED BELT is a limited-release, three-cask blend of fine Bourbon and Irish Whiskey, serving as the follow-up to Puncher’s Chance THE UNDISPUTED Bourbon, which won a Platinum Medal and Best in Show 2nd Runner-Up honors at Tony Abou-Ganim’s heralded TAG World Spirits Awards in the American Bourbon Single Barrel category.
With barrels sourced by IJW Whiskey Company of Louisville, KY and crafted by Master Blender Steven Hughes, THE UNIFIED BELT is the first cross-category whiskey blend. First into the ring is a four-year-old high-rye base Kentucky Straight Bourbon distilled with a proprietary yeast and aged to four years in barrels featuring a #4 alligator char aged at a traditional rickhouse in Danville, KY; the mash bill is 70% corn, 20% rye, 10% malt. That is married to a four-year-old Irish Whiskey crafted from 100% malted barley and proprietary yeast, then aged in former Bourbon barrels in a palletized warehouse in Ireland. To add further complexity and depth, a third cask joins the lineup, a 14-year-old Bourbon finished in first-fill Pedro Ximenez and Olorosso Sherry casks for up to 15 months. The mash bill of this precious liquid is 84% corn, 8% rye and 10% malt.
At the bell’s ring, The UNIFIED BELT enters with dark fruit, orchard fruit and cocoa, perfectly balanced with layers of warm oak and baking spice. The finish is long with hints of vanilla and baked green apples. The Unified Belt is bottled at a very approachable 96-proof and retails at $149.99 for 750 ml.
The brand name of Puncher’s Chance is a boxing reference, denoting that almost anyone can have a knockout punch, no matter the odds. For the uninitiated in the boxing arena, a unified belt or champion is a boxer who holds at least two world championships of major sanctioning bodies in their respective division, lending the name well to a rare Bourbon/Irish Whiskey blend.
Earlier this year, Puncher’s Chance renewed a deal with the Professional Fighter’s League to bring its whiskey to the growing MMA community – while proudly partnering with MMA legend Bruce Buffer.
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