‘Just Me and a Buddy From College’: Comedian Jim Gaffigan Spent His Own Money to Launch His New Whiskey Brand, Fathertime Bourbon

Ted Alexandro (left) Jim Gaffigan, John from the Winerack, and Stu Pollard (right) pose for a photo after doing “research” for the Fathertime Bourbon brand. (Fathertime Bourbon/Facebook)

Jim Gaffigan, the comedian known for his self-deprecating sense of humor, launched his very own whiskey brand, Fathertime Bourbon. According to Chortle, Gaffigan claimed the whiskey was made “with no corporate or investor backing.”

Autographed bottles of the debut Fathertime Bourbon expression are available on Seelbach’s for $149.99. The bourbon clocks in at 92.4 proof and is distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky.

“It’s just me and a buddy from college,” Gaffigan said, according to Chortle. “We got tons of help from smart bourbon people and we’re proud of what we’ve created. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we do.”

According to the brand, Gaffigan “did his research, sampled loads of barrels and personally selected all the bourbon that would become Fathertime.”

The comedian alleges he was pitched multiple times to do a spirits deal from “big companies” but declined every time. A statement on the brand’s website shared the impetus for the idea:

“After the most recent time he was pitched on a spirits deal, he thought, ‘Why don’t I just try and do something myself?’ That might make it less cringy and I’d be able to personally guarantee it won’t taste like garbage. If the whole project fails, at least it will be on me.”

This narrative is admittedly a refreshing one, as more celebrities than ever are launching their whiskey brands, from the likes of martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme to actor William H. Macy. If Gaffigan’s claims are true, it seems like Fathertime whiskey is a true passion project rather than a cash grab.

In March, Gaffigan admitted to being a bourbon aficionado in a segment he shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. In the hilarious video, the comedian claimed that he enjoyed a glass of bourbon every night with his wife, to “try to forget [they] have children.”

As for Gaffigan’s new venture, the comedian posted another video done in the style of a prescription medication commercial, featuring the talents of other comedians like Ted Alexandro. He claimed that the bourbon was for “three out of five men” affected by the condition of “fatherhood.”

“This can affect all types of men. Good-looking men, ugly men, it doesn’t matter,” Gaffigan claims.

He states the only thing that can rectify this condition is something that he developed with a “group of scientists” — Fathertime Bourbon.

“Being woken up in the morning with the word ‘boo’ by a four-year-old is frightening and stays with you the rest of the day, and sometimes the rest of that week,” said Alexandro, who was diagnosed with “late-onset fatherhood.”

The can’t-miss video can be viewed below:

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