If you've been living under a rock with no access to any golf-related social media outlets and are asking yourself what Sweetens Cove Golf Club is, I would suggest starting with this . "This is an exciting and pivotal time for Sweetens Cove, as we exponentially grow our product offerings and expand to new markets," said Mark Rivers, Sweetens Cove's Managing Partner. To create a whiskey befitting such a special place, the group turned to Marianne Eaves, a Tennessee native with an impressive whiskey-making resume. All rights reserved. Soon after our initial conversation, we agreed to study the mental health of college coaches. Sweetens Cove hasnt become the social media sweetheart that it is for no reason. Palate: Fullness and richness immediately envelop the palate, alongside a touch of heat. Eaves is Kentuckys first female master distiller, and she was trained by Chris Morris at Woodford Reserve Distillery before moving to another Kentucky shop, Castle & Key. Marks goal of preserving everything special about Sweetens Cove really impressed Marianne. Manning and Roddick are part of a group of five investors in the Tennessee golf course founded by Rob Collins and Tad King, replacing a former 18-hole course called Sequatchie Valley Golf Course on the property with their vision for what a modern golf course should be. Since Manning and Roddick have come aboard as investors, they've played the course a number of times and have shared social media posts from and relating to Sweetens Cove. Sign up to be the first to know aboutthe latest Sweetens Cove swag and what's happening at the course. Along with creating the barrel, all proceeds will go to a great cause for the winning team. This is a definite downgrade for Masters qualifier Adrian Meronk, but he may be another that needs a run on a strange track, whilst Yannik Paul will need to tidy up his driving to allow him to continue his Smith-esque tee-to-green game. The article, titled Peyton Manning's New Bourbon Is So Legit I Can't Even Call It a 'Celebrity Bourbon' features a Q&A . Yes, bourbon is his game now. Connect with your authenticity and your roots. By all accounts, thats just what theyve done, impressing plenty of spirits critics, myself among them, and teeing up their brand to enter the all-important, on-premise bar and restaurant scene once the pandemic subsides. Billed as Texas as you always imagined it, the 800-acre development features the first new 18-hole golf course constructed in that part of Texas Hill Country in 15 years. Mark goes on to say: Obviously, its a 9-hole course, but 80% of the people that come there play 18 holes or more. For performance over the last three months, the mercurial 36-year-old is 16th in overall ranking on stats site Tour Tips, helped by 27th in total driving, 20th in ball-striking, 29th in greens, 39th in scrambling and 27th for putting average something beautiful about that consistency, and requiring very little improvement to figure here. Among those new investors are some legendary athletes, including multi-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning and former US Open tennis champion Andy Roddick. Andy Roddick and business partner Mark Rivers were inspired to create the bourbon brand by a Tennessee golf club called Sweetens Cove. Visitors would leave bottles. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. We use the Golf News Net byline sometimes just to change things up. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. He was Managing Editor at a regional golf magazine for 11 years before joining eSouthernGOLF in 2013 as Editor. When Mark arrived in 2019, the exceptional nature of the property was easy to see. The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) applauded Governor Janet Mills for signing LD 201, legislation to permanently Ranked: Top 100 American Whiskeys for 2022. In this May 2020 feature on Esquire.com, Aarron Goldfarb interviews two of Sweetens Cove Golf Club's owners, Peyton Manning and Mark Rivers, about the launch of Sweetens Cove Spirits, a limited release Tennessee bourbon. Its actually going to be better, Marianne says. Getting your hands on a bottle of Sweetens Cove Bourbon in Texas might feel like a treasure hunt. In total, we had nearly 50 (32 Division 1, 16 Division 2/3) NCAA coaches participate in our study, which set out to better understand depressive and anxiety symptoms, burnout, and job turnover intentions. The majority of the people that come there dont limit it to a 9-hole golf course, so were just going to try to build on that and keep people there playing golf longer. Said Mark Rivers, a Sweetens Cove partner: "We're really proud of our direct lineage to golf if it wasn't for the course, there wouldn't be this bourbon." . This brief break from your influenced thoughts also gives you time to reflect. Securing our long-term inventory needs with a capital partner like Advanced Spirits will ensure we continue to bring award winning whiskeys to market while also meeting consumer demand., At Advanced Spirits, we are pleased that another high-profile brand recognized the advantages of our capital and supply solutions, said Arnold. From reading biographies about philosophers, presidents, CEOs, Athletes, and top performance experts, journaling has always played a role in their lives. . 2/16/2023 8:56 PM. The Germans best form reads very well in the context of this event, with his best effort (according to world rankings) being a win at the Di-Data in Fancourt, a 7400-yard (roughly) course that saw him beat big-hitters Dean Burmester, Daniel Hillier and JC Ritchie amongst others. Sweetens Cove has positioned this product as more of a casual drinker versus the brands high profile, ultra premium sipping bourbon that is released annually (see our 2020 and 2021 reviews for reference). Bottles were shared with friends and staff. Sweetens Cove Bourbon is expected to roll out in Texas at major retailers starting April 21, 2021, but timing differs depending on the store. Does Peyton Manning own Sweetens Cove bourbon? Get the latest whiskey news and reviews to your inbox, Oceania Cruises Celebrates Anniversary With New 20-Year-Old Whisky, Glenmorangie, Shoe Surgeon Partner On Whisky-Inspired Sneakers, New Zealands Cardrona Distillery Offers Up Some 7 Year Single Cask Whiskies, Kansas Whiskey Offers Up More Single Barrel Straight Bourbon, Gordon & McPhail Releases 74 Year Old Whisky For King Charles Coronation, Ryan Reynolds Drops Nearly $50k On Celebratory Whisky For Wrexham Fans, Furman University Launches FU All The Time Bourbon, Jeffersons Bourbon Founder Helps Launch New Entrepreneurial Fund, Associated Bourbon, Elvis Famous Peanut Butter, Bacon, Banana Snack Now A Whiskey, Sort Of. We dont want to change the core of what Sweetens Cove is by building an elaborate clubhouse because that would not be true to what it stands for. . Sweetens Cove Batch 2, 113.7 Proof, $200. The third of five batches will hit retail shelves next week, but Sweetens Cove Spirits CEO Mark Rivers estimates the 14,000 bottles in its inaugural release will be sold out by October. In a six-month span, I lost two close friends to suicide. Peyton and Andy have a culture of putting their efforts behind the brand versus their faces in front of it.. Ground had broken on Sweetens Cove back in 2011 at the tail end of the Great Recession. ), Peter Schmitt is an avid golfer trying to get better every day, the definition of which changes relatively frequently. In the past the Kentucky-Tennessee winner would receive the Beer Barrel, a tradition that was started in 1925 between both teams. And Sweetens Cove Bourbon does taste very good because of Marianne and her expertise.. The next phone call was to Andy Roddick, the former tennis star who has since become a prolific golfer in his own right. In 2022, they released a new, all-access expression called Kennessee, which is a marriage of Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons that are then finished with toasted sugar maple wood. Then Tom brought Peyton Manning to the table, who is the undisputed king of anything that goes on in Tennessee. The partners hired master distiller and highly-lauded bourbon unicorn, Marianne Eaves, to blend their bourbon since they knew they were not the experts. Vital Stats: A blending of select Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons, finished in stainless steel tanks with the addition of special wood spirals made from sugar maple wood. The Spaniard is at home with a test of ball control and, as suggested by his wins in Morocco (9-under), Qatar (play-off in -13), and just six weeks ago in Kenya when recording a comfortable two-shot win, he can compete with the best in every type of condition whether a birdie-fest or a war of attrition. Sweetens Cove, to be sure, is a new venture, one that created just 13,000 bottles sold only in Tennessee and Georgia in its first, pandemic-stilted year of 2020 before growing production to 25,000 . They had just begun work on the Driftwood Ranch Club in Austin, so a golf course was top of mind. New partners of Sweetens Cove. Input your search keywords and press Enter. It was said that, even after this dispute was settled, if one owned orsquatted on land right on the border, they lived in Kennessee., So, knowing this, it is an interesting naming Sweetens Cove has used for this expression. Your email address will not be published. The investment team behind it, Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick among them, is impressive for their cumulative celebrity alone, but the bourbon itself is also superior to much of the star-studded booze that proliferates today. I want to establish the credibility of the product and the story. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Rivers assembled a top-notch team which started by engaging his business partner, Skip Bronson, a longtime member at Bel Air Country Club who also worked with Steve Wynn at Shadow Creek. The spirit is Sweetens Cove, and has its roots in a well-loved but rather . All rights reserved. He lives in Lexington, KY with his wife and two young kids. A depth here displayed in the mouth that finds footing and appeasement to the taste buds quite quickly. In a previous life, it had been a lackluster municipal course, but Rob and his business partner, Tad King, saw enough promise in the place to take it on as the first project for their new design firm, King Collins Course Design. First and foremost, few understand the scope and intensity of the job. We went and had one made, thought it would be fun to kind of share it around with friends and fans of the game. The finish is delicate and lingering, leaving behind an essence of sweetness that makes a dessert desired next. Photo courtesy of Nathalie Dupre Photography. It was a difficult time for me, to say the least. They decided to make an ultra-premium Tennessee whiskey bourbon instead of competing with everyone else. Even professional golf course critics have, at times, described Sweetens Cove as the essence of the game distilled into purest form and function. This can include distinct feels on the motion. Sweetens Cove Golf Club in Tennessee is described by investor Mark Rivers as a "low-key" nine-hole course that once didn't have plumbing. Kennessee is a delicious harmony of the two.. Hints of orange, vanilla, maple, butterscotch. review. It was charming and disarming, and it later got called The Little Golf Course That Could by The New York Times. October 29, 2022, 8:20 amupdated October 29, 2022, 1:02 pm. Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Whiskey Wash, an award winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y on a global level. Theres something there, Mark insisted. A sociologist and elite player, we pursued a collaborative effort to study the stress faced by professionals in the golf industry, including their mental health challenges. 1 / 3. Were also committed to keeping the course open to the public, affordable, and we want to try to encourage young golfers and families to join us as much as possible because everybody wins when that happens.. Although he has missed half his cuts in 2023, when he has been right he has recorded a never-nearer third in Thailand and a closing sixth in India, before leading the Steyn City field into Sunday. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. I think that Sweetens Cove is going to be Tennessees Pappy Van Winkle. The 25,000 bottles that will be released in Texas, Tennessee and Georgia are a blend of 16-, 6- and 4-year-old juices aged in barrels in Kentucky. While this first-rate group has the chops and resources to help Sweetens Cove make huge strides, expect them not to stray far from whats brought them this far. Like anybody in the state of Tennessee or Kentucky, were pretty excited about the game, paying more attention to it in some years maybe. To sweeten the pot, the team offered her a creative blank check. Contact. feel that Mark and his partners stumbled on in 2019, only now theres an actual bathroom. This means that often they operate at a dizzying pace, far outside of what might be considered normal for years on end. Courtesy Photo. Customer accounts enabled in your Store Admin. Why we're drinking this: I initially got into Sweetens . As Eaves asks in a release video at the launch of this more casual whiskey have we just become best friends? one can easily set aside the rivalry between Kentucky and Tennessee whiskeys in this expression. Mark has assembled a top-notch team which started by engaging his business partner, Skip Bronson, a long-time member of Bel Air Country Club who also worked with Steve Wynn in the development of Shadow Creek. They also kept up the Sweetens Cove tradition taking a shot of whiskey at the first tee. He and his team thought Sweetens Cove could truly be a world-class course, but what they didnt know then was that the idea of Sweetens Cove could lend its allure to something even bigger. Not exactly initially the right way to think about it when the previously mentioned bourbon rivalry comes into play. For their next course development endeavor, they brought on board Andy Roddick the former tennis star is an avid golfer and turned their ambitions toward something less traditional, a 9-hole model without the sprawling clubhouse and view-obstructing condominiums. Peter Schmitt. This includes countless hours of recruiting, fundraising, and navigating through endless paperwork. Our company aims to minimize these challenges for our brand partners, ensuring they have the necessary supply to meet their sales and innovation goals.. 3 Emmerson Family 1,860,000 acres Sierra Pacific , Forest Park Ranch encompasses 2,215 deeded acres of . And thats all part of the game for this small-batch Tennessee bourbon backed by former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, former tennis pro Andy Roddick, sports broadcaster Jim Nantz, Kendra Scott CEO Tom Nolan, Tiffs Treats founder Leon Chen, real estate investor Mark Rivers and more. With a limited release strategy, Sweetens Cove's partners including Tennessee Vols and NFL legend Peyton Manning hope to stake a claim as Tennessee . m***@sweetenscovespirits.com. Rivers and 38 investors took ownership of Sweetens Cove Golf Club in 2019, determined to keep it not fancy though they added a functional bathroom in place of the port-a-potty. Though the matchup is now called the Border Battle, both schools have a deep connection to the bourbon barrel. Sweetens Cove. No one would argue that its easy to get to or that it has lavish accommodations, but the quality of golf theyve condensed into a mere 9 holes is what keeps its disciples flocking to rural Tennessee in droves. Knappe is expected to find a bit more on a track that must suit better than the comparatively claustrophobic Ishioka, and whilst Knappe isnt the nap of the week, he represents the best value on the card at 80/1. Read More . Of note, 2021 Masters champion Matsuyama also won the 2016 Japan Open, beating KH Lee into joint-second spot. That third win on the Challenge Tour came six years after his two wins at the Swiss Challenge (similar yardage, altitude accepted) and, more significantly, at the Hainan Open in China, again beating a long driver in Pep Angles at a course that bombers Grant Forrest and Tapio Pulkkanen have both finished as runners-up. Taking the time to write down the good shots reverses that natural thought process and can change your brain over time to what you have done well. Then, through a couple degrees of separation, Tom brought Peyton Manning to the table, who is the undisputed king of anything that goes on in Tennessee. They had just begun work on the Driftwood Ranch Club in Austin, so a golf course was top of mind. In this May 2020 feature on Esquire.com, Aarron Goldfarb interviews two of Sweetens Cove Golf Club's owners, Peyton Manning and Mark Rivers, about the launch of Sweetens Cove Spirits, a limited release Tennessee bourbon. As Ran Morrissett wrote, If you leave [Sweetens Cove] smiling, dont panic, golf is supposed to be fun. We hope to see you soon. As Harvey Penick once said, Make sure you go to dinner with good putters. The energy of players attitudes around you will undoubtedly contaminate your thinking. You talk about storytelling and authenticity in the roots of a brand, you cant really beat that, said Rivers. [1] Final Verdict. Shortly after, the group partnered with pioneering whiskey industry figure Marianne Eaves as Master Blender. No other course does this. The hope is to further grow the course, the amount of play on it and improve just a few of the infrastructure features of the property. More photos of Fitzpatricks WITB here. Dave has been published at TriStateGolfer, FairwaysGolfCanada, GeorgiaGolf&Travel, TexasGolfInsider, GolfTrips, NewEngland.Golf, ProGolfWeekly, and numerous regional and state publications. Still nine holes but now considered the one of the best nines in the country, Sweetens Cove was the first design by owner Rob Collins, who previously worked with Gary Player Design, and partner Thad King in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. At around 400 yards longer than last weeks test, this may have been even more suitable for Lucas Herbert, especially given the high-ranking players in the 2015 Presidents Cup. In May 2019, Sweetens Cove Golf Club announced an all-star team of five new co-owner partners (pictured above with owner and architect Rob Collins). And what about Sweetens Cove, the golf club? But weve positioned ourselves to make it great. That doesnt mean lots of development, however. Though Eaves was born in Tennessee, some 20 minutes from the Sweetens Cove course, she lives full time in an RV with her partner, who runs a traveling circus. Dont touch the shed though or the course! The Scot certainly caught the eye last weekend after a four-under back-nine but hes often let punters down when sub-20/1, and whilst this course should suit better than Japan, he surely has one eye on defending his Italian Open title in a couple of weeks time. Enter Eaves though, who has worked and lived on both sides of the state line. It was said of it by brand co-founder Mark Rivers at the time of launch that "each state has its own legacy and lore, characters and culture, with a common state line. Even professional golf course critics have, at times, described Sweetens Cove as the essence of the game distilled into purest form and function. "If golf had National Parks, this would be one of them.". And perhaps even more concerning, very few (less than five percent in our data) reported seeking professional help (counseling, therapy). Founded by Rivers, with partners including Peyton Manning and Andy Roddick, the group also owns the . We wanted to start in a couple of states first and make sure we got it right, Andy says. Since many are elite former athletes, they feel that the stress and demands of their job are normal. Theyve already seen an increase in play over last year, which is certainly a good problem to have, so we want to give the grounds crew as much support as we can to stay on top of things in the midst of that increase in traffic. We see our role as preserving and protecting that first, and then enhancing it second. Back then, Louis Oosthuizen, Hideki Matsuyama and Bae top-scored for the Internationals, while Phil Mickelson, Zach and Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson scored heavily for the US. Sitting down and spending time writing in a journal is massively beneficial for multiple reasons. Weve been thinking about it for a while and thought it would be fun to throw out the idea of playing for a bourbon barrel, which is a great industry in both states. I dont want people to buy it simply because Peyton Manning is a part of it, said Rivers. For packaging, we even hired the design team that created Taylor Swifts last two album covers.. It was said of it by brand co-founder Mark Rivers at the time of launch that each state has its own legacy and lore, characters and culture, with a common state line. Imagine reflecting on your round when you are more clear-minded, not fresh off a bogey on the last hole. Kennessee is thus being positioned as something that, according to co-founder Mark Rivers, allows people to go to a bar and order it up in a Sweetens Cove old fashioned or similar cocktail. That ritual led to the idea of launching Sweetens Cove bourbon, created by Eaves, a champion whiskey maker with roots in Tennessee and Kentucky. I do at least get a call back, but the bourbon has to do [the talking] after that., You dont get that kind of dedication from most celebrity spirits backers.