UK Athletics is taking one of the state’s signature products and making it part of the game-day experience across the board.
On Thursday, the department announced a multiyear partnership with Heaven Hill Brands, the Bardstown-based family company behind some of Kentucky’s best-known bourbons. Under the deal, Elijah Craig becomes the Official Small Batch Bourbon Partner of the Wildcats, while Evan Williams is named the Official Bourbon Partner.
The agreement stretches far beyond a logo on a sign. It reaches into the places where Kentucky fans actually spend their Saturdays and weeknights, from premium clubs to tailgate lots to multiple sports venues.
The biggest changes will show up in UK’s hospitality spaces. At Kroger Field, the Longship Club will be transformed into the Elijah Craig Club.
At Rupp Arena, the Bourbon Club will become the Elijah Craig Speakeasy. Both spaces are set for full redesigns built around Elijah Craig’s history, with custom details intended to make them feel like destinations.
That Speakeasy name already has a footprint in Kentucky. Heaven Hill opened an Elijah Craig Speakeasy at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville a couple of years ago, and the Lexington version follows that model.
Fans outside the premium areas are getting their own piece of the deal, too. Evan Williams will be part of game day through the Evan Williams Bourbon Nation program, with activations planned for tailgates and fan zones. Heaven Hill describes Evan Williams as Game Day’s Number One Pour, and the brand will be positioned right in the middle of the pregame scene.
The reach of the partnership goes beyond football and men’s basketball. Heaven Hill brands will also appear at Historic Memorial Coliseum and Kentucky Proud Park, bringing the same presence to volleyball and baseball events.
There’s also a collectible angle for fans who like to keep a bottle on the shelf. Heaven Hill and UK are rolling out limited-edition co-branded Elijah Craig and Evan Williams bottles tied to the partnership. The first release includes a barrel that Athletics Director J Batt personally selected in Bardstown before his first football season at UK.
Some of those co-branded products are also expected to show up at Kroger stores, which makes the connection even cleaner given Kroger is already UK Athletics’ official grocery partner.
The deal also fits into the larger financial structure UK has been building through Champions Blue, LLC, the holding company created to pursue public-private partnerships like this one. JMI Sports, UK’s multimedia rights partner, brought Heaven Hill and the athletic department together and helped structure the agreement, which includes naming rights, pouring rights and gameday activations.
Batt summed up the fit by calling bourbon “foundational to the uniqueness of Kentucky’s culture and economy.” Heaven Hill CMO Matt Blevins said the aim is for every Kentucky fan, whether they’re in a premium suite or a tailgate lot, to feel the depth of the partnership.
In Other News...
Kentuckys 2012 Title Team Just Got Left Out Of A Brutal Debate
A fresh reminder of how crowded the modern college basketball throne room has become arrived this week when CBS Sports surveyed nearly 100 Division I mens coaches about the best teams of the 21st century. Kentuckys 2011-12 title team, the one that rolled to a national championship with a 38-2 record, had to settle for sixth place in the voting, collecting 10 percent and missing the top five in a field stacked with recent powers.
The result says as much about the era as it does about one season, with the 2023-24 UConn team drawing the most support and Kentuckys 2014-15 group also getting mentioned. For Wildcats fans, it is another chance to measure John Caliparis best Kentucky teams against the sports most celebrated champions, and to wonder how a roster that delivered the program its eighth national title still winds up just outside the center of the argument. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Players Believe Fans Will Notice Something Different This Saturday
The buildup to Kentuckys season opener has already started to feel a little different around the program, with players talking openly about the anticipation of finally lining up in front of fans again. Linebacker Grant Godfrey and defensive tackle Tavion Gadson were among those sounding eager for the 2026 season, while quarterback Kenny Minchey is getting ready for his first start after spending three years waiting on the sideline for this chance.
Youngstown State comes to Kroger Field to open the season, and it should give Kentucky its first real chance to show what this new look feels like in game action. Tickets are still available, and for a fan base trying to get a read on the next chapter, Saturday offers the first glimpse of whether the energy inside the stadium matches what the players say theyve been feeling all along. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Defense Is Finally Handing A Patient Wildcat His Big Chance
Grant Godfrey has spent enough time in Kentuckys system to know that opportunity in football rarely arrives on schedule. For 2026, though, the patient linebacker is set to be at the center of it all, with the season opening Sept. 5 against Youngstown State and the defense looking to a new voice to keep everything aligned.
Godfrey has been confirmed as the units defensive signal-caller, the player wearing the green dot helmet and relaying directly with coordinator Jay Bateman. It is a meaningful step for a player who battled through early setbacks and competition before winning the job through his leadership, grasp of the playbook and the trust he built with Bateman, all of which now put him in position to steer the Wildcats defense. [Read more 🡒]