Pittsburgh Pirates Take a Swing at Whiskey Through Local Distillery Partnership
The Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled a new partnership with a local craft whiskey distillery, Wigle Whiskey. (Photo: AP Photo/Don Wright, File)
WPXI reported Thursday that the Pittsburgh Pirates partnering with a local distillery, Wigle Whiskey. Wigle whiskeys will be available for purchase throughout the park.
“This partnership with Wigle Whiskey is the coming together of two brands, deeply rooted in the rich history of Pittsburgh,” Pirates President Travis Williams said, according to WPXI. “It brings forward our focus to deliver the ultimate fan experience at PNC Park that is uniquely Pittsburgh.”
The whiskeys will be featured in three bar spaces at the stadium: Wigle Reserve, Wigle Whiskey and City of Champions Bourbon.
“We are thrilled to introduce our award-winning craft whiskeys to Pittsburgh’s renowned ballpark experience,” Wigle Whiskey COO Alex Moser said, according to WPXI News. “Baseball has always been about coming together to celebrate shared passions, and this partnership allows us to bring our passion for fine craft distilling to the fans.”
In August 2022, Wigle Whiskey sold to Pittsburgh Spirits, which is owned by Bob Nuttig, who also owns the Pirates. The sale was met with outrage from many fans of the brand, who accused it of “selling out.”
Earlier in 2022, Wigle’s owners at the time were ordered by the U.S. Department of Labor to repay nearly $40,000 to 41 servers after an investigation found that they had been unlawfully required to share tips with managers and supervisors at the distillery.
Wigle Whiskey claims it is the “most awarded craft distillery by the American Craft Spirits Association” over the past 10 years. The brand, named after one of Pennsylvania’s first distillers, prides itself on using local grains and has a fairly exhaustive portfolio that includes bitters and ready-to-drink offerings.
As far as whiskey goes, Wigle has standard, cask-strength and single barrel bourbon and rye expressions within its core portfolio. Wigle Whiskey additionally experiments with cask finishes such as port and sherry on its rye whiskeys.
The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t the only sports team getting in on the craft spirits craze.
In October, the Philadelphia Eagles unveiled their own branded bourbon and vodka line, thanks to a partnership with companies, BOTLD and WeHolden. Bird Gang Spirits, the sports team’s new booze line, rolled out the inaugural core expressions which featured kelly green labeling as an homage to the team’s colors.
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