Rutgers Lends Its Name To Eric LeGrand Scarlet Knight Bourbon

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — For the first time, Rutgers is lending its name to a liquor brand: Rutgers Athletics partnered with former RU football player Eric LeGrand to release Eric LeGrand Scarlet Knights Bourbon.

This is the first spirits collaboration for the university and it will be available for a limited time in select liquor stores in New Jersey.

LeGrand, who grew up in Avenel, is a former Rutgers football defensive tackle who became paralyzed in a 2010 Rutgers-Army game. He has since gone on to become a motivational speaker and entrepreneur.

The bourbon is part of LeGrand and Rutgers' “Scarlet Knight Series,” a collaborative bourbon series between LeGrand Bourbon and Rutgers University. The bourbon is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that was aged for five years and bottled at 92 proof. It comprises a mashbill of 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% barley.

"On the nose, it offers notes of caramel, dark cherry, and toasted oak with a subtle rye spice. Its smooth palate delivers bold fruit, vanilla, and a warm, lingering finish, perfect for sipping or cocktails," said the company.

The bourbon is available in 750ml bottles and has a suggested retail price of $54.99. Bottles can be purchased at select liquor stores across New Jersey, online at ericlegrandwhiskey.com and at select bars and restaurants statewide if you ask for it.

LeGrand was a football star at Colonia High School in Woodbridge and went on to a promising Division 1 college career at Rutgers University. However, it was during a 2010 Rutgers-Army game that tragedy stuck: LeGrand took a hard hit and suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury.

At the time, LeGrand recalled lying on the Rutgers football field, unable to breathe and thinking he was going to die. He is now paralyzed and uses a wheelchair.

LeGrand has not let his life-altering football injury stop him: He worked as a motivational speaker, a sports analyst for ESPN, Sirius, the Big Ten Network and Rutgers radio and in 2022 he opened LeGrand Coffee House next to the Woodbridge train station.

He still lives locally today in the Woodbridge area. He has launched previous bourbon lines and select-roasted coffee lines bearing his name.

“We’re incredibly excited to collaborate with Rutgers University on this new bourbon series,” LeGrand said this week. “Since we entered our partnership with Rutgers Athletics in 2023, it opened many doors for the brand so this was a long time coming. The university means so much to me and it’s been great seeing fellow Rutgers fans enjoying our bourbon on game days. Now, they can finally have a bourbon that bottles up their pride for the university and can be used to toast on many occasions.”

Eric LeGrand Bourbon is now available to purchase in the state of New Jersey or can be shipped to select states via https://www.ericlegrandwhiskey.com/