Damon and Stefan Salvatore may not have always seen eye to eye on many things, especially in the romance department, but their portrayers’ bond is admirable. Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley met on the set of The Vampire Diaries and instantly kicked things off.
Last year, the pair launched their own bourbon brand, and as it turns out, they started talking about it in season 2 of TVD.
Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley launched their bourbon brand in 2021
Playing onscreen undead years-old brothers must have cemented the love between Somerhalder and Wesley as the two created a bourbon brand after their hit show ended. The pair reportedly got together to work on the brand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, Somerhalder appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where he teased the adult beverage brand, telling Clarkson he and Wesley wanted to create a product whiskey enthusiasts and their Vampire Diaries fans could enjoy.
The actor refused to divulge further details about the product but dropped major hints, including referring to him and Wesley as brothers. Wesley announced the brand on Instagram a while later in a candid image of him and Somerhalder sampling the product, captured by Somerhalder’s wife, Nikki Reed.
“Ladies and gents, me and my homie Ian Somerhalder aka Smoldeypants, are so thrilled to bring you our latest venture: Brother’s Bond Bourbon,” Wesley captioned the photo in part. Brother’s Bond Bourbon, fittingly named, officially launched in May 2021.
Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley knew they wanted a bourbon brand by season 2 of ‘TVD’
The Salvatore brothers had immense wealth they’d acquired over their 100 years of existence. However, instead of enjoying a good bottle of wine, the brothers preferred bourbon as it was one of the things they could bond over.
While the drink on the show wasn’t bourbon but iced tea, it influenced Wesley and Somerhalder to create something together. Brother’s Bond Bourbon is a callback to the bond the actors’ characters shared onscreen as brothers and their connection and camaraderie in real life.
In a recent interview on The Drink with Kate Snow, Somerhalder revealed that the brand was 12 years in making as he and Wesley came up with it during the second season of their cult show TVD. He said, “Paul Wesley and I had been talking about this since season 2 of The Vampire Diaries, and then Paul and I bonded offscreen over bourbon.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Somerhalder and Wesley got into the nitty-gritty of how they came up with the product. Wesley said he’d never “appreciated” bourbon until he moved to Atlanta, but for Somerhalder, the drink pumped through his veins as he’d been drinking it for 25 years. The pair said that creating Brother’s Bond Bourbon together “felt like an incredibly organic thing to do.”
The reviews for Brother’s Bond Bourbon have been great so far
Brother’s Bond Bourbon has been doing fairly well with critics so far. Bustle labeled it a great introduction for anyone looking to “get acquainted with bourbon,” calling it a “very approachable, drinkable whiskey.”
The Whiskey Wash scored the drink a 3.5 out of 5, describing the product as “well integrated and easy drinking with enough punch to keep it interesting.” Flaviar gave the drink a generous 7.9 out of 10, praising its honey, rye spices, walnut bread aroma, and baking spices flavors.
Brother’s Bond Bourbon scored a 4.8 out of 5 at Drizly based on 15 reviews. But Breaking Bourbon wasn’t impressed with its “characteristic lightness of intensity from start to finish,” writing that it failed to entice them to return for more.