Louisville, Clemson Mayors Agree To A Bourbon Wager For Saturday’s ACC Matchup

On the eve of an important ACC football showdown between the University of Louisville and Clemson University, Mayor Greg Fischer of Louisville and Mayor J.C. Cook III of Clemson are putting a friendly wager on the line: Bourbon.

Mayor Fischer is putting up a collection of small bottles from Louisville distilleries — Angel’s Envy, Old Forester, Evan Williams, Mitchter’s, Kentucky Peerless, Bulleit Bourbon, Rabbit Hole and Jim Beam — while Clemson’s wager is a bottle of Six & Twenty, from a South Carolina artisan distillery owned by two Clemson grads.

Its five-grain bourbon is made with all South Carolina grown grains, Mayor Cook said. “As mayor of Clemson, I am proud to say both our football team and our South Carolina bourbon will bring their A-game to the table,” he said.

Though Clemson has won all three games played since U of L joined the ACC, Mayor Fischer is extremely confident about his team’s chances.

“I look forward to trying a sip of my Six & Twenty winning after the Cards win, although I still have my doubts about any bourbon that’s not made in Kentucky,” he said. “I may just save it to celebrate when our quarterback, Lamar Jackson, wins his second Heisman.”

Mayor Cook said he’s looking forward to the game, which has drawn ESPN’s “College GameDay” back to Louisville for the second consecutive season.

Louisville vs. Clemson “has become one of the most exciting rivalries in football, and it’s so great to see how the Louisville fans welcome us with such hospitality,” he said. “We may have to start naming this the Friendly Bowl.”