GREENVILLE, S.C. — FU All the Time, a favorite Furman Paladins cheer, is also now a private-label straight bourbon whiskey.
The university debuted FU All the Time last week at the launch party for the Clearly Furman campaign, which has a goal of raising $426 million by the university bicentennial in 2026.
“We thought FU All the Time bourbon would be popular, and it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it," said Elizabeth Lichtenberg, senior director of brand strategy and visual communications for Furman. "We expect this new product to be a favorite for a long time.”
University officials say the idea was pitched in 2022 through Affinity Licensing, a university partner. They brought Ironclad Distillery in Newport News, Virginia, to the table, and the bourbon was born.
University officials say a small group of University employees got a preview of the spirits last May and gave it an "enthusiastic thumbs up" along with the idea for the name. The label was designed by Furman graphic designer Chris Turner.
The cheer "FU All the Time" was made famous by two former Furman presidents, according to officials. Legend has it that Gordon Blackwell started the phrase in the 1960s, and John E. Johns amplified it, literally, as he would do the cheer with a megaphone at the big games. Joseph Vaughn, Furman’s first Black undergraduate student and a Furman cheerleader, is also said to have had a hand in popularizing the beloved cheer.
FU All the Time is made with four grains (corn, wheat and rye from Virginia and malted barley) and then aged in oak barrels from South Carolina for at least three years, according to Zach Wheeler with Aleph Wines, the distributor for South Carolina.
“It’s smooth and fruity on the front end, with a little bit of grain," Wheeler said. "It goes into a baked goods, biscuit flavor on the back of the tongue and ends with the rye bite that mellows out the 100 proof.”
FU All the Time straight bourbon whiskey is currently available online and in liquor stores and restaurants across the Upstate, with statewide distribution expected soon soon.
