I’m a press release, Hooten Young announced it has partnered with Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc., one of America’s most storied firearms makers, on RUGER Whiskey & Cigars: a limited collaboration built on a shared belief in American craftsmanship. The debut release brings together Ruger First-Fire Bourbon and two companion cigars, Rim Fire and Center Fire—all produced by Hooten Young under license from Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
Since 1949, Ruger Firearms has built its name on attainable quality, craftsmanship, and enduring value—the same pursuit that inspired the Ruger Bourbon Whiskey and Cigar Collection. It is a limited-edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey capped at just 1,776 individually numbered 750ml bottles, from 0001/1776 through 1776/1776, in tribute to the year the nation gained its independence. No two bottles are alike.
Aged seven years and bottled at 96 proof (48% ABV), First-Fire Bourbon is drawn from just ten barrels—distilled in Kentucky on a 54-inch Vendome column still and matured in Speyside reference char #4 barrels, then bottled by Manifest Distilling in Jacksonville, Florida. It pours a deep amber; the nose offers caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak layered with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a whisper of dried stone fruit. The palate moves from sweet toffee and honey to dark cherry, orange zest, and building rye spice, finishing medium-to-long on oak spice, leather, and caramelized brown sugar.
Completing the pairing are two hand-rolled cigars, each a 6 x 54 Toro crafted in Estelí, Nicaragua under Hooten Young Cigars and offered in a strictly limited run of 250 boxes of 20—ten of each blend per box. Rim Fire, a medium-bodied Connecticut Shade, leads with cream, cedar, and toasted almond over buttered toast and gentle white pepper. Center Fire, a medium-to-full San Andrés, delivers dark cocoa, roasted coffee, and black pepper balanced by a touch of natural sweetness.
RUGER First-Fire Bourbon and the Rim Fire and Center Fire Cigars are available exclusively online at store.hootenyoung.com, with pre-sale opening to the public October 14, 2026, at 1 p.m. EST. Given the strictly limited quantities—just 1,776 bottles and 250 cigar boxes—availability is expected to be brief. For more information, visit store.hootenyoung.com.
RUGER FIRST-FIRE BOURBON — SPECIFICATIONS
- Product: Ruger First-Fire Bourbon — Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Batch No. 1)
- Collaboration: Produced by Hooten Young under license from Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
- Age: 7 Years
- Proof: 96 (48% ABV)
- Mash Bill: 70% Corn / 21% Rye / 9% Malted Barley
- Maturation: Speyside reference char #4 barrels (10 barrels)
- Production: Distilled in Kentucky · Bottled by Manifest Distilling, Jacksonville, FL
- Release Size: 1,776 individually numbered 750ml bottles (0001/1776–1776/1776)
- Tasting Notes: Caramel, vanilla, toasted oak, and baking spice; toffee, honey, dark cherry, and orange zest; a finish of oak spice, leather, and caramelized brown sugar
- MSRP: $45.99
RUGER CIGARS — RIM FIRE & CENTER FIRE
- Format: 6 x 54 Toro — hand-rolled in Estelí, Nicaragua by Hooten Young Cigars
- Release Size: 250 boxes of 20 (10 Rim Fire + 10 Center Fire per box)
- Rim Fire: Connecticut Shade wrapper; medium body (3/5) — cream, cedar, toasted almond, buttered toast, white pepper
- Center Fire: San Andrés wrapper; medium-to-full (4/5) — dark cocoa, roasted coffee, earth, cedar, black pepper
- MSRP: $20/Cigar | Available in 20-count boxes and 4-packs
- Availability: Online exclusive — store.hootenyoung.com · Pre-sale opens to the public October 14, 2026, 1 p.m. EST
