RAISING A GLASS FOR GOOD — Sophisticated St. Louis

Eric LeGrand and Brian Axelrod launch Eric LeGrand Kentucky Bourbon, with a portion of the sales benefitting the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.

Written by Bridget Williams / Photo courtesy of Eric LeGrand Kentucky Bourbon

In 2010, Rutgers University football star Eric LeGrand's life changed when he sustained a spinal cord injury at his C3 and C4 vertebrae during a fourth-quarter play at MetLife Stadium. Determined to beat the initial grim prognosis, Eric shattered all expectations for his recovery and rehabilitation as a Reeve Foundation's NeuroRecovery Network participant. He took part in a rigorous rehabilitation regime, including locomotor training, to re-teach his body how to walk and improve his quality of life. To Eric, it is not a matter of whether he walks again but when.

Brian Axelrod and Eric Legrand launch Eric LaGrand Kentucky Bourbon

Eric has since regained movement in his shoulders and experienced improvements to his overall health that have allowed him to graduate from Rutgers and become an author, a sports analyst for ESPN, Sirius, the Big Ten Network, and Rutgers radio, a Sports Illustrated and ESPY Award winner, and a much sought after motivational speaker, who has given a voice to the paralysis community and mobilized support for critical initiatives, policies, and cutting-edge research.

Harnessing the national spotlight his injury attracted, Eric launched Team LeGrand in September 2013 as a fundraising arm for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, raising nearly $2 million for spinal cord research in the last decade. "We are grateful for Eric's long partnership with the Reeve Foundation and his dedication to carrying forward Christopher Reeve's legacy and dreams for the spinal cord injury community – a world of empty wheelchairs," said Colleen Coppla, Chief of Development at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. "With a resolute commitment to his passions, Eric has become a leading entrepreneur, and we're thrilled to be able to support and benefit from his ventures. Eric LeGrand Bourbon helps to achieve Eric's goal of getting us to the endzone – cures for spinal cord injury and paralysis – and we couldn't be more excited to be involved."

The launch of Eric LeGrand Kentucky Bourbon is Eric's latest entrepreneurial venture, having debuted the clothing brand Shop Fifty Two in 2019, a coffee brand in 2021, and co-founding Knight Society, a Rutgers collective with former Rutgers basketball player Geo Baker in 2022.

Brian Axelrod, Eric's partner in his latest business venture, is a twenty-year veteran of the spirits industry and no stranger to celebrity collaborations, having partnered with Conor McGregor and his team to launch Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey, which was acquired by Becle in 2021. Before that, Brian worked on D'USSE Cognac as the Brand Director and Commercial Director for Champagne Armand de Brignac for over six years alongside Jay-Z and Desire Perez.

More than just business partners, Eric and Brian are also committed to supporting those living with and impacted by paralysis by finding the cure for spinal cord injuries. To facilitate this, they have pledged to donate $5.20 of every case sold of Eric LeGrand Bourbon to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Fifty-two was Eric's number at Rutgers.

"Teaming up with Eric to create a product that gives back to those impacted by paralysis has truly been such an eye-opening business endeavor," said Brian. "It feels good knowing that we have developed a high-quality bourbon that has the potential to change someone's life."

Eric LeGrand Bourbon is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon, distilled in Owensboro, Kentucky, using quality heartland-grown corn, limestone purified water, the freshest rye, and barley available then bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky. This premier whiskey, aged no less than two years in perfectly charred oak barrels, boasts a warm nose and a smooth, crisp finish.

"My recovery journey has mirrored that of my bourbon. Both take precision, patience, and trust in the process," said Eric. "Eric LeGrand Bourbon offers a way for those who are living with paralysis and those who are not impaired by it to enjoy sipping on a quality bourbon while coming together to support a foundation that gives back to anyone impacted by this condition."