Heaven Hill Brands has signed a multiyear partnership with UK Athletics, naming Elijah Craig the Official Small Batch Bourbon Partner of the Kentucky Wildcats and Evan Williams the Official Bourbon Partner. The deal, announced in Lexington, Kentucky, includes venue naming rights, co-branded bottles and gameday activations across the University of Kentucky’s athletics facilities.
Elijah Craig will invest in two of the university’s premium hospitality spaces.
The Mezzanine Club at Kroger Field will become the “Elijah Craig Club,” while the Bourbon Club at Rupp Arena will be renamed the “Elijah Craig Speakeasy.”
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Both venues will be redesigned with elements drawn from the brand’s heritage.
Evan Williams, named after Kentucky’s first licensed distiller, will activate at tailgates and fan zones on gamedays through the brand’s Evan Williams Bourbon Nation program.
“When you think of Kentucky, one of the first things you think about is the Wildcats. Another is bourbon,” said J Batt, UK Athletics Director and CEO of Champions Blue LLC.
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READ THE STORY“Bourbon is foundational to the uniqueness of Kentucky’s culture and economy, and we are proud to welcome Elijah Craig and Evan Williams into the Kentucky Athletics family.”
The partnership will also introduce a series of limited-edition, co-branded bottles.
The inaugural release will feature an Elijah Craig barrel hand-picked by Batt, who traveled to Bardstown to personally select the barrel.
Heaven Hill will feature both brands across Kroger Field, Rupp Arena, Historic Memorial Coliseum and Kentucky Proud Park hospitality spaces.
“Elijah Craig and Evan Williams represent two sides of what makes bourbon culture great, the craftsmanship that commands respect and the spirit that brings people together,” said Matt Blevins, chief marketing officer at Heaven Hill.
“That’s exactly what UK Athletics means to this state too.”
The agreement was developed by JMI Sports, UK Athletics’ multimedia rights partner.
Founded in 1935 and based in Bardstown, Heaven Hill Brands is the largest independent, family-owned and led spirits company in the US. It is also the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky bourbon and the third-largest supplier of tequila.
Its portfolio includes Larceny, Old Fitzgerald and Henry McKenna bourbons, Rittenhouse Rye whiskey, Deep Eddy Vodka and Lunazul Tequila.
The company was named a Best Managed Company from 2024 to 2026 by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal.
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