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CITY HALL

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer bets bourbon with Clemson mayor ahead of football showdown

Phillip M. Bailey
Courier Journal
Greg Fischer. April 19, 2017

Mayor Greg Fischer is betting on the University of Louisville football team ahead of its anticipated showdown with top-ranked Clemson University.

Fischer announced Friday that he is putting up a collection of small bottles from Louisville distilleries against Clemson Mayor J.C. Cook III in a friendly wager before the big game. The eight bottles are Angel’s Envy, Old Forester, Evan Williams, Mitchter’s, Kentucky Peerless, Bulleit Bourbon, Rabbit Hole and Jim Beam.

Cook's wager is a bottle of Six & Twenty, from a South Carolina artisan distillery owned by two Clemson grads.

"I look forward to trying a sip of my Six & Twenty winning after the Cards win, although I still have my doubts about any bourbon that’s not made in Kentucky," Fischer said in a news release. "I may just save it to celebrate when our quarterback, Lamar Jackson, wins his second Heisman."

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Cook said he’s looking forward to the game, which has drawn ESPN’s "College GameDay" back to Louisville for the second consecutive season. He said the two teams have created a new rivalry that he has dubbed the "Friendly Bowl" due to Louisville's hospitality.

Clemson has won all three football games that the two teams have played since U of L joined the ACC.

“As mayor of Clemson, I am proud to say both our football team and our South Carolina bourbon will bring their A-game to the table,” Cook said.

Reporter Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at 502-582-4475 or pbailey@courier-journal.com.