Candy corn | Vanilla | Light syrup | Light oak | White peppercorn | Yellow cake

Light oak | Faint pink bubblegum | Touch of caramel | Vanilla | Light rye spice 

Rye spice | Light vanilla syrup | New oak | Dab of leather | White peppercorn 

Eric LeGrand was a football player at Rutgers University. In October 2010, LeGrand sustained a spinal cord injury at his C3 and C4 vertebrae during a fourth quarter play at MetLife Stadium. Since that time, LeGrand has defied doctors, “shattering all expectations for his recovery and rehabilitation,” according to the company’s press materials. LeGrand Spirits is the first spirits brand to partner withRutgers Athletics, and the company states that this bourbon is a  “limited-edition release that celebrates the legacy of the university with a nod to its mascot, The Scarlet Knight.”

Green River Distillery puts out a range of bourbons, with varying mashbills, taste profiles, and ages. Eric LeGrand Scarlet Knights Bourbon is a sourced high rye bourbon from Green River that falls more in line with an easy-going, average sipping bourbon, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The bourbon's flavor profile is more classic, with its sip presenting a concentration of lighter sweet notes along with a thread of rye spice that peaks in the finish. 

What is interesting about the bourbon is the fact that it’s a branded release with Rutgers. As NIL continues to transform college sports, seeing colleges and universities as new potential partners for spirit brands is an interesting take. Whether more colleges and universities will actually expand and partner in this space is yet to be seen, but you have to give LeGrand Spirits and Rutgers credit for going this route. For graduates and fans of the school, this will be a must buy, however, for everyone else, this will come across as another option in a sea of similar tasting bourbons.