Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight champion
Valentina
Shevchenko is partnering with California-based Sespe Creek
Distillery on a limited-edition whiskey under its Warbringer
brand.
Warbringer Bullet Edition was developed with master distiller John
Campbell, who previously spent 16 years at Scotland’s Laphroaig
distillery. The single-barrel release is scheduled to debut Nov. 3,
with 170 bottles available.
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Valentina Shevchenko selects the barrel for Warbringer Bullet
Edition ahead of its Nov. 3 debut
Bottled at 114 proof, or 57% alcohol by volume, the whiskey has a
suggested retail price of $95. Its mash bill consists of 65%
mesquite-roasted Bloody Butcher red corn, 10% hand-roasted yellow
corn and 25% malted rye. It is finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry
casks.
The distillery describes notes of honey, spice and eucalyptus.
Campbell said Shevchenko selected the barrel during a blind
tasting.
“This is Valentina’s Whiskey, and so the process was all about
finding something she genuinely delighted in,” Campbell said. “We
tasted through a lot of different barrels, but when she blind
selected the Bloody Butcher, it was like ‘Ahh right, of course!’ It
was a fun moment. She picked a delicious barrel.”
Shevchenko said its earthy character and smoky flavor reminded her
of home in Kyrgyzstan, where cooking over an open fire evokes
family celebrations.
The whiskey will initially be available through the Warbringer
online store and select retailers in California, Texas, Arizona and
Colorado.