DIGITS is a five-year-old bourbon launched exclusively in Chicago marking the recent collaboration between Scottie Pippen, NBA legend and entrepreneur & wine and spirits maker Dave Phinney. The new bourbon is blended by Savage & Cooke Master Distiller Jordan Via.
Scottie Pippen is a retired 6-time NBA Champion and 2-time Olympic gold medalist. For his first endeavor into the whiskey industry, he connected with Phinney’s award-winning Savage & Cooke distillery to oversee the development of the five-year-old bourbon.
Pippen is very passionate about the new bourbon, its making and the collaboration. According to Food & Wine- Bottles are filled at a contraption that looks like stainless steel udder that dispenses bourbon instead of milk. Office workers are taping boxes together. Guys who usually tend to vats of fermenting grain are labelling bottles. And the warehouse team includes a very tall new guy named Scottie working quietly at a stainless steel table.
Pippen went casual chic for his first day on the job: grey and red Dior sweatshirt and black jeans, plus diamond studs and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch. As “Nonstop” by Drake booms from his Ultimate Ears portable speaker, Pippen smooths the labels on each side of the short bottle. “The secret to getting it straight is this little box,” he says, referring to a guide that helps him line up the labels. “It’s a gorgeous bottle.”
“And, you know, Scottie and his perfect way, he’s like, ‘Well, I’m going through a divorce. Obviously, I’m not playing anymore, so I got plenty of time, and I like to work.'” They stayed at the table for five or six hours. Phinney remembers the Montrachet; Mills says they enjoyed a Haut-Brion from the 1990s and some of Phinney’s wines.”
How Pippen contributed to DIGITS in Phinney’s words
“Savage & Cooke, since its inception, has been a place of discovery and home to making opportunities for great spirits to come to life. Little did I know I would have an opportunity to add one of the greatest basketball players of all time in Scottie Pippen, to the Savage & Cooke roster, whose drive for another great moment would include us coming together to make what is a beautiful and championship level bourbon in DIGITS.”
Dave Phinney says about the collaboration
“Chicago has meant so much to me, the experience and equally as important the people that inspired me and cheered me on, I wanted to toast with them first and foremost. My partnership with Dave Phinney has been remarkable from the start and I believe we have created a superb bourbon. We wanted DIGITS to be more than a bourbon, we wanted it to be a reminder of who we are individually and how we came together to create this bottle. I’ve always celebrated with bourbon, now getting to celebrate with my own is something very special to me.”
Scottie Pippen’s words on DIGITS and the collaboration
TASTING NOTES
- NOSE- Notes of juicy peach, sweet vanilla oak, red rope liquorice and a dusting of powdered cinnamon.
- PALATE- Sweet taste with more pronounced peach, caramel, vanilla and sweet spices.
- FINISH- The finish is soft and pleasant but enduring, showing toasted oak, fruit and a slow-burning, spicy kick.
- ABV- DIGITS is a 46% ABV (92-proof) whiskey.
Savage & Cooke is located on Mare Island, near the city of Vallejo, California. The Savage & Cooke distillery owned by Napa Valley winemaker Dave Phinney and opened in 2018. The decision to locate the distillery on Mare Island was due to its fascinating history as a naval shipyard, the plethora of space, stunning brownstone buildings and its proximity to both the Napa Valley and San Francisco. Savage & Cooke distils, ages, finishes and bottles a range of brown spirits including Bourbon, Whiskey and Rye. The distillery currently produces Second Glance American Whiskey, The Burning Chair Bourbon, Lip Service Rye, and Bad Sweater Whiskey.