Wisconsin’s First Black-founded Alcohol Distributorship Adds New Whiskey Line

Mequon-based Big League Distributing has announced that it will distribute Illinois-made Alexander James Whiskey expressions – a brand created by former Division I college athlete Jesse Steward Jr. – in Wisconsin.

Steward – who was a sprinter and jumper at Purdue University and Lewis University (as well as being an operations supervisor at O’Hare International Airport, which is probably a challenging sport of its own!) – has a bourbon and a rye so far.

Each is distilled by Two Eagles Distillery in Mount Prospect, Illinois, aged four years in charred American white oak barrels and bottled at 90 proof.

"Big League Distributing and Alexander James are a great match," says Steward, who launched his whiskey brand on his 30th birthday in October 2021. "The BLD team understands that behind every high-quality product is a meaningful story. And those stories are key ingredients.

“Alexander James was born of my family's rich history passed down to me from my father, his father and so on, each story told over a glass of whiskey. BLD also made history in its founding. Wisconsin is a state of discerning diners and drinkers, and we are confident that Alexander James will resonate."