The Lehman Brothers hangover is still available.
But instead of worldwide financial ruin, the headache, shakes and anxiety can be replicated courtesy of a new whiskey brand bearing the name of the former behemoth whose shuttering kicked off the devastating economic implosion of 2008.
The new line of spirits is the brainchild of London entrepreneur James Green and bears the once prestigious Lehman logo.
“It’s an explosive brand with great intrinsic value,” Green tells the Wall Street Journal.
Green worked with distillers in South Carolina and Scotland to produce Lehman Brothers’ three blends, which, in both taste and name, recount the bitter tale of the investment bank’s collapse.
The first is an American whiskey called “Snapfire,” which is meant to mimic the historic crash.
Green says it “almost offends the palate.”
“Ashes of Disaster,” Green says, is “tempered with humility, to demonstrate the lack of activity that followed the devastation.” His last, “Evergreen” has “notes of growth and promise” and represents rebirth.
“We want people to taste the story,” says the 34-year-old who thought to use the now notorious name in 2013 while deciding where to drink with his finance pals in London.
Barclays, which bought part of the firm, tried to block Green from using the name, but they were unsuccessful.
But how many whiskey lovers, especially those on Wall Street, will be happy to toast to the unpleasant memories and bankruptcy?
Green has already received numerous orders from bars in both New York and London apparently eager to serve up some irony-laced booze.
And Green isn’t just stopping at bottles. He’s also hoping to spin off the Lehman Brothers into actual watering holes bearing the name.