Sips & Sites & Bites

NFL great Joe Montana recently partnered with The Gold Bar Spirits Company on the Joe Montana Whiskey Collection. 

The special edition whiskey was released via Gold Bar’s distribution partner, Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. They recently made the announcement at Gold Bar Distillery’s new Visitor Center and Tasting Room on Treasure Island in San Francisco.

“Collaborating with the team at Gold Bar Whiskey to develop this collection has been a fun experience,” said San Francisco 49ers legend Montana. “From the unique flavor profiles to the meaningful blend numbers and creative designs, the collection will offer a variety of selections for a gameday beverage, with a twist of nostalgia. I’m looking forward to sharing the whiskey, as well as the experience of Gold Bar’s incredible new Visitor Center here in San Francisco, with fans.”

Montana is best known for leading the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories, as well as winning the National Championship for Notre Dame. He was named the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player three times, and is in the discussion of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time.

Founded in 2013, Gold Bar Whiskey is known for its double-casked wine barrel finished whiskies. 

The distiller describes the whiskey as smooth, with a complex flavor profile and housed in an iconic gold bar shaped bottle. The whiskies are crafted by Master Blender Montgomery Paulsen, a second-generation winemaker from Napa Valley. 

Gold Bar Whiskey is currently available in more than 25 countries, with continued expansion in Europe, South America, and Asia.

“Gold Bar is made for moments worth celebrating so it made perfect sense to collaborate with one of the most celebrated championship quarterbacks in the history of the game.” said Gold Bar Founder and President Elliott Gillespie.

The Joe Montana Whiskey Collection was specially crafted for whiskey enthusiasts and the 49ers Faithful who have been key supporters of the distillery. Gold Bar Whiskey enters its fourth year as the “Official Whiskey of the San Francisco 49ers.” 

Gold Bar Whiskey’s Joe Montana Blend No. 273

The Collection launches with Blend No. 273, a triple casked American whiskey with a three grain mash bill of (corn, rye and barley), bottled at 82 proof. Blend No. 273 is first double casked in red wine barrels and then triple casked in cognac barrels and raked over toasted oak staves. 

Blend No. 273 represents the number of Joe Montana’s total career touchdown passes. The artwork on the bottle incorporates the 49ers throwback 1970s and ‘80s oval logo and Joe’s signature. The illustration depicting Joe’s historic touchdown celebration in Super Bowl XXIV was created by a 49ers superfan and artist, Rita Oak. Blend No. 273 has a suggested price of $59.99.

For the holidays, Blend 273 will also be included in a five-bottle box set to be released as “The Joe Montana Championship Collection.” The box set highlights the four Super Bowl Championships that Joe and the 49ers won together in 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990 and includes a custom wood display box. It will sell for $299.99.

Gold Bar Whiskey’s Joe Montana Blend No. 117

A holiday release, the Collection will include the limited Blend No. 117, known as “Number 16” given Montana’s 49er jersey number and the age of the whiskey inside the bottle. Blend No. 117 is a limited-edition 16-year-old whiskey at a near cask strength of 95 proof, triple casked in Cognac barrels and raked over toasted oak staves to impart rich and deep notes of dried fruit, spice and apricot. It will sell for $149.99.

Gold Bar will introduce a new innovation in brand packaging, called “The Patch.” Each Joe Montana Collection bottle comes with a bottle neck tag that has a wearable, iron-on Joe Montana patch, that creates an interactive fan experience. The patches have an embedded a near-field-communication (NFC) chip, that when tapped with your phone, directs a fan to exclusive Joe Montana content including a special “secret” video of Joe at the Gold Bar Distillery preparing, step-by-step, his signature cocktail “The Golden Joe” made with Gold Bar Whiskey, orange juice, lime juice and ginger beer. 

You can find and “Tap the Patch” for the full recipe from Joe. Gold Bar Whiskey’s “Tap the Patch” slogan will be a key part of the Joe Montana marketing campaign.

The Gold Bar Visitor Center includes a bar and restaurant located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay on Treasure Island, at 1 Avenue of the Palms, Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA 94130. The building offers views of the city, and is housed in a historic building originally built as a Pan American Airways’ airport for the China Clipper Transpacific service.

For more information on how to visit the Gold Bar Visitor Center or to get a Joe Montana bottle, check out www.goldbarwhiskey.com.