Knob Creek and Eli Manning Team Up for Bourbon and Fantasy Football Campaign

Eli Manning signs his selected barrel of bourbon. (Photo: Knob Creek)

On Tuesday, Knob Creek announced it is once again partnering with former NFL quarterback Eli Manning for its Bold Picks campaign, which ties together fantasy football and a new limited-edition bourbon release.

The 2025 campaign features the return of Manning’s personally picked single-barrel Knob Creek Bourbon (we reviewed last year’s here). In addition, Manning will offer weekly fantasy football advice this NFL season. Knob Creek Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon: Eli Manning’s Bold Pick 2026 Batch will roll out nationwide ahead of the NFL postseason.

This year’s pick from Manning will be bottled at cask strength, which lines up with Knob Creek’s launch of its cask-strength barrel pick program earlier this year.

“As football fans and bourbon makers, we respect the confidence it takes to win — on the field and at our distillery,” Freddie Noe, Beam’s eighth-generation master distiller, said in a news release. “Welcoming Eli back to the distillery, we knew we wanted this year’s release to be bold. The Knob Creek Eli Manning’s Bold Pick: 2026 Batch is bottled at cask strength; unfiltered, unapologetic, and made for those who stand by their convictions. It’s the kind of whiskey that speaks to the intensity of game day and the high standards we’ve upheld at Knob Creek.”

In addition to the whiskey launch, Manning will provide fantasy football picks and predictions throughout the season on Knob Creek’s Instagram channel. Fans are also encouraged to try “Eli’s Gameday Old Fashioned,” a recipe built around Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon.

The brand’s digital campaign will target fantasy football players through platforms such as Reddit, YouTube and Instagram, as well as shopping platforms including Instacart and Fanatics.

“I appreciate a bourbon that delivers full, bold flavor — that’s why Knob Creek is my go-to pour and a great partner for another round of bold picks,” Manning said. “To kick off the fantasy football season, I’ll be sharing advice for fans’ fantasy drafts and raising a glass to those who stand by their convictions.”

As part of the promotion, Knob Creek will run the Bold Picks Sweepstakes, which offers fans a chance to win an exclusive watch party for up to 12 people at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky. Instant-win prizes, including Old Fashioned cocktail kits, will also be awarded during the preseason. The sweepstakes is open to U.S. residents 21 and older through Nov. 1, 2025, at www.TheBoldPicksSweepstakes.com.

Knob Creek, part of Suntory Global Spirits, has been producing bourbon since 1992 as part of the James B. Beam Small Batch Collection. The brand has recently expanded its lineup to include age-stated rye whiskies and limited-edition releases such as its 15- and 18-year-old bourbons.