October 20, 2023
Local distillery releases Panthers commemorative bourbon
Southern Distilling Co.’s Paragon single barrels honor the 2003 Panthers
by Kristen Wile
Southern Distilling Co. is releasing a commemorative Panthers whiskey. Photo courtesy
Southern Distilling Company is releasing a limited edition bourbon today in honor of the Carolina Panthers’ 2003 NFC Championship season. There will be fewer than 1,000 bottles of the Southern Star Paragon sold, the product of six barrels selected for the occasion. Labeled with the Panthers’ signature black and blue, each bottle is hand numbered. The whiskey will be available for sale at the Statesville distillery beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 20, as well as available ABC Stores and as well as some South Carolina stores.
The barrels were selected by the founders of Southern Distilling, Pete and Vienna Barger, and the Panthers’ executive vice president of partnerships, Jonathan Norman, and chief marketing officer, Dan O’Neil. A representative of Mecklenburg County ABC also participated in the pick, as did mixologist Bob Peters of Built On Hospitality. Pete Barger is a Charlotte native and longtime Panthers fan.
Jay Finnigan, executive vice president and director of sales and marketing at Southern Distilling Company, says the bottle release was timed for Panthers fans to enjoy during the bye week, and ahead of the induction of two 2003 Panthers into the Ring of Honor: Muhsin Muhammad and linebacker Julius Peppers. The former will be on hand for a bottle signing at the distillery on Friday, Oct. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. along with former teammate Mike Rucker.
“This is certainly a new era in Panthers football but it’s always nice to celebrate past success and honor those who earned a championship — so what better way to celebrate 20 years since the NFC Championship season than by raising a glass of award winning bourbon?” Finnigan says. “The barrels selected for this release are of our Southern Star Paragon, which won the 2022 New York Spirits Competition — the “Whiskey Championship” so to speak — so the same “championship” bourbon is celebrating a “championship” team.”
Southern Star Paragon is a wheated bourbon, with a mash bill of 70 percent corn, 16 percent wheat, and 14 percent malted barley, lending the whiskey nutty, vanilla notes. The six barrels selected for the commemorative Panthers bottles range in proof from 107.2 and 109.5 and have been aged for at least five years. The bottles retail for $99.95.
Southern Distilling announced a partnership with the Panthers earlier this year, with the distillery’s products available during games at Bank of America Stadium.
