Furman University introduces bourbon brand – how to get yours

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Now enthusiastic Furman fans can really get in the “spirits.”

Borrowing its name from a line in a Paladins cheer, a new private-label straight bourbon whiskey is available to fans and supporters of the Greenville university. “FU All the Time” bourbon made its debut at a Clearly Furman campaign over the weekend, part of the university’s $426 million fundraising plan.

See related article: Furman University plans to raise $426 million — here’s how

Furman, named for a Baptist clergyman, is celebrating its upcoming bicentennial. Tracing its roots to 1826, it was chartered by South Carolina Baptists in 1854 as Greenville Baptist Female College. The university and the South Carolina Baptist Convention went in “divergent directions” in the second half of the 20^th century, according to the university website, and formally dissolved their affiliation in the early 1990s.

The limited edition whiskey sells for $83.69 online and is available in restaurants and liquor stores in the Upstate, with plans to make it available statewide soon, according to a university news release.

“The launch of the Clearly Furman campaign was an exciting time, with hundreds of alumni and donors and other friends on campus,” Elizabeth Lichtenberg, senior director of brand strategy and visual communications for Furman, said in a news release. “We thought FU All the Time bourbon would be popular, and it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it. It felt good to be able to offer the Furman Family something new and unique that they can enjoy and take some pride in, and give them a new way to toast and celebrate Furman. We expect this new product to be a favorite for a long time.”

Lichtenberg manages licensing for the university and was pitched the idea of a bourbon in 2022 through Affinity Licensing, a university partner, the release stated. The whiskey is distilled and bottled by Ironclad Distillery in Newport News, Va. The label was designed by Furman graphic designer Chris Turner.

“‘FU All the Time really resonates with alumni as well as faculty and staff,” Lichtenberg said in the release. The cheer was made famous by two former Furman presidents. Legend has it that Gordon Blackwell started the phrase in the 1960s, and John E. Johns amplified it, literally, as he would do the cheer with a megaphone at big games. Joseph Vaughn, Furman’s first Black undergraduate student and a Furman cheerleader, is also said to have had a hand in popularizing the cheer.

The distributor for South Carolina is Aleph Wines. FU All the Time is made with four grains (corn, wheat and rye from Virginia and malted barley). It’s aged in oak barrels from South Carolina for at least three years.

“It’s smooth and fruity on the front end, with a little bit of grain. It goes into a baked goods, biscuit flavor on the back of the tongue and ends with the rye bite that mellows out the 100 proof,” Zach Wheeler of Aleph Wines said in the release.