Is Stephen Curry's Gentleman's Cut Bourbon actually good?

Steph Curry in unquestionably the greatest shooter in NBA history, but can he shoot his shot successfully with whiskey fans with his Bourbon?

Son and Father in spirit: Stephen and Dell Curry showcase Gentleman’s Cut. (Source: Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon)

I have every reason to believe that a bourbon made by Stephen Curry will be good.

The reason is simple: the man seems to be absurdly good at everything.

The greatest Golden State Warrior ever has revolutionized the game for nearly two decades, from his days at Davidson to the present-day Bay Area. Moreover, his forays into golf and reality television have also proven successful. So when I found out that Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon was under the Steph banner, I was immediately intrigued.

So, let’s hit on Curry’s release with a simple question…is it good?

To answer this question, I have procured a bottle of Gentleman’s Cut from Total Wine for $82. Moreover, I have searched the internet for other perspectives on the spirit in question.

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Chef Curry with the shot. (Source: Gentleman’s Cut)

In March 2023, Curry partnered with John Schwartz (owner of Amuse Bouche Winery in Napa Valley) to form a joint venture with Boone County Distilling Co., a Bourbon Trail-based distiller with their highly regarded, eponymously-named Bourbon, which initially opened in 1833 and was re-established in 2015.

“I’ve learned over the years that life is best enjoyed in the close company of others,” Curry said on his website. “It’s those moments of celebrating a milestone, enjoying endless laughter into the evening, or simply an unpredictable night of carrying on that make for a memory you can always reflect on. I’ve long found that these unforgettable evenings are often best enjoyed with a rich and nuanced Bourbon in hand.”

Gentleman’s Cut is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon. It’s bottled at 90 proof. The mash bill is 75% Corn, 21% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley. (Coincidentally, this is the same mash bill as Scottie Pippen’s Digits Bourbon)

To determine if it’s good, I sourced intel from The Whiskey Shelf, Bottle Raiders and DrinkHacker, along with my review. Please give them a click to support their expertise in this matter.

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Tasting Notes: Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon

Under Armour and Gentleman’s Cut. (Source: Gentleman’s Cut)

The Nose

• The Whiskey Shelf: At first, I smell dark honey, pumpernickel, ginger, soggy pumpernickel bread, red apple, apricot, oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, orange peel, and toasted corn. Oh jeez, the soggy oak and earthy grain stick out immediately, to the point that it’s tough to focus on anything else.

• Bottle Raiders: Nasty and grainy on the nose — young and full of cardboard, green wood, musty paper and young grain.

• Drinkhacker: Boldly toasty, this whiskey straddles the line between old school distilling and craft whiskeydom, with a ton of char up top that gives the nose a boldly peppery character. Well-toasted grains, burnt popcorn, and a bit of barbecue smoke evoke the frontier reasonably clearly.

• Sip Mightily: Nosing this is like lifting the hood of a charcoal grill with Honey Nut Cheerios and a Pumpkin Spice Latte inside. The sweet notes are there, but it’s a harsh nose.

The Palate

• Sip Mightily: For this being 90-proof, I’m compelled to give it a few drops of water as the first sip is harsh. With drops, the Bourbon opens up. Baked bread. A bit of leather. A bit of cardamom and spice. This doesn’t taste like a Bourbon aged 5-7 years. Maybe 2-3 years.

• The Whiskey Shelf: The flavors have darker honey, caraway seed, toasted oak, dried ginger, baked red apple, toasted rye bread, nutmeg, vanilla, dried orange peel, and some roasted coffee. While the scents mostly keep up a good front and come off bolder than 45% ABV, the flavors can’t keep it up, too.

• Bottle Raiders: Young, peppy and punchy. For 45% ABV, it's super hot, packed with ethanol, young grain, wet cardboard, must and grain. Gross and young, well underaged.

• Drinkhacker: A bit softer, with some graham cracker, honey, and light coconut notes swirled into the equation. A slightly doughy body pairs fairly well with the more overt charry, peppery notes, tempering the underlying heat — but only to an extent.

The Finish

• Drinkhacker: [A] tiny splash of water softens the harder, frontier-driven edges of the whiskey and makes room for a lighter slick of sandalwood, a bolder coconut character, and a lingering hazelnut quality on the finish.

• Sip Mightily: Without water, still a bit of spice and leather. Herby, with a short, harsh finish. With a few drops, I got some cinnamon and wood.

• The Whiskey Shelf: Earthy honey, caraway seed, ginger, dried oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpernickel, and toasted grain. After “chewing,” it leaves dark honey, earthy caraway seed, toasted oak, baked red apple, and cinnamon with lingering earthiness, oak, ginger and nutmeg. It’s ok.

• Bottle Raiders: Short, abrasive, musty, young and hot. This is about as young and underaged a whiskey as I've had in recent years, and it's abrasive from the moment it arrives to the moment it (finally) departs.

Final Thoughts

• Bottle Raiders: Come on, Steph. This is underaged, and it shows. I can appreciate the proof being above 40%, but the young, youthful, grain-forward character is a clear marker for a whiskey bottled well before its time and produced with flaws throughout. Gross. Rating: 2/5 or 40.

• Drinkhacker: After trying it again straight from the bottle, I wouldn’t drink it any other way. Rating: 90.

• Sip Mightily: This is like drafting Ricky Rubio ahead of Stephen Curry in the 2009 NBA Draft. Rubio had a good NBA career, but he’s not world-class like Steph. This is a $30 second-round draft pick bourbon masquerading as an $80 lottery pick bourbon. Meh. Rating: 66.

• The Whiskey Shelf: [It’s] ok, but I don’t really like drinking it. It has moments of nice dark sweetness, but for the most part, it’s too earthy, bready, and grainy for me. … Nothing about this stands out, feels mature, captures my senses, or what’s most important for the price – feels premium. Nothing about this feels $80 good. Rating: 3/5 or 60.

Averaged final score: 64

• What does a 64 mean? It means this bottle is a mixed bag; it all depends on your palate.

• So, is Curry’s Bourbon actually good? Meh. Curry’s Bourbon ($82 at Total Wine) is priced higher than Pippen’s ($60 at Total Wine) and isn’t nearly as good. If you know a Golden State Warriors fan, get this for them. Otherwise, spend your money elsewhere until retailers mark this down. To Steph, you know that “shooters shoot,” so take this as a plea to take another shot at it. You got it.