Semper Fi Brands, LLC , A Texas firm, has created Big Stick Bourbon ™, a unique bourbon which adds a charred American white oak stick inside the bottle to enhance the flavor of the bourbon over time. “Instead of putting the bourbon in the barrel, we put the barrel in the bourbon, said Michael Ryan. It creates an extremely smooth finish and adds a great deal of character to the bourbon. It is a drink that men and women both enjoy. Semper Fi brands, LLC is dedicated to making the world’s best bourbon and donating a portion of proceeds to military charities.

Our story:

Our story begins like every other story with two friends. Soon after it takes on a very unique twist and things will never be the same. The founders of the company have been friends for over 30 years. One is a successful engineer and businessman, the other a successful lawyer and retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who was an Artillery Officer and a Judge Advocate. During a New Year’s Eve vacation, we realized we were both looking for a new adventure. When you achieve a certain level of success you have two choices, coast or look for bigger mountains to climb.

Neither of us is short on bravado (n.a pretentious, swaggering display of courage) or determination.  We decided to start a bourbon business. We wanted to create a business to combine our love of bourbon and support our deep respect for the military. The idea actually came to one of the founders in church while he was introspective about what to do next with his life. Nothing works better than asking for help while in church.  Suddenly, it was as clear as day - create Semper Fi Brands, LLC to produce outstanding spirits and donate a portion of the profits to military charities - forever.

We started on the quest to find a special recipe that would stand out from all the others. Alas, there is only so much you can do with a mash recipe. Variations all taste great but are too similar to stand out. The marketing pitch is all that separated them. Small batch runs are never the same twice. We took a much different and unique direction. By placing a large charred stick in a bottle you achieve several unique flavor characteristics. First, it smooths out the bite of a traditional spirit. Many people who swear they do not like bourbon - LOVE our bourbon. The harsh bite is gone, but the flavor is not. Second, it ages continuously in the bottle.  It is similar to a “double-oaked” treatment, except ours is continuous - that is, until you finish the bottle! The size of the stick really does matter…..

The engineering design allows for a balance of a large surface area and volume of wood to come into contact with the spirits while in the bottle. We chose a unique and distinctive bottle to highlight the flavor and visual effect of our large stick.  We blend our spirits and designed our lines to be both the highest quality and reasonably priced for the discerning consumer. Timid is not a word used to describe us. Following that theme, what better name to call it than BIG STICK Bourbon™. We want everyone to experience what we believe is the best bourbon you will ever taste, again, and again.  Thank you to all our serving military members, veterans, and their families. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Semper Fi Brands, LLC - it’s not just a name, it’s a way of life.