LifeSciKY has teamed up with New Riff Distilling for the second consecutive year to release an exclusive single barrel bourbon in Covington, Kentucky. Proceeds from the collaboration, announced on July 13, 2026, will fund lab bench grants at the city’s life sciences incubator.
The bourbon aims to lower the barrier to entry for startups by providing space and equipment to scale scientific discoveries.
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Blue North, the Northern Kentucky-based entrepreneurial hub, will match all bourbon sales and bottle pre-orders dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000 (£3,700).
This year’s release builds on last year’s inaugural effort, which generated two $10,000 (£7,400) grants.
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The Science is Bourbon Bench Grant was awarded to Clareo Biosciences, made possible by the New Riff collaboration with support from Blue North. The Stronger Together Bench went to PAN Biologics, founded and sponsored by McD Concrete.
The funding allowed PAN Biologics to relocate its offices from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Covington. Louisville-based Clareo Biosciences used its grant to expand into Northern Kentucky.
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READ THE STORY"Receiving last year’s grant helped make it possible for Clareo Biosciences to expand our Louisville operations up into Northern Kentucky as well," said Melissa Smith, CEO of Clareo Biosciences.
Smith added: "That sense of community and overwhelming support for our team has been instrumental to our growth, and has given us, as an early-stage company, the resources, motivation, and confidence to keep building and innovating here in Northern Kentucky."
These grants, combined with a donation from the William J. Motto Family, inspired the LifeSciKY Stronger Together Grant Program.
The initiative provides entrepreneurs and researchers with access to laboratory infrastructure, equipment, mentorship, and commercialization resources.
"Many promising entrepreneurs never get the opportunity to test their ideas because they lack access to the infrastructure, equipment, and support needed to get started," said Dr. Christin Godale, executive director of LifeSciKY.
Godale said the program helps "remove barriers to innovation by providing founders with access to the capital and the resources needed to transform ideas into real-world solutions."
New Riff Distilling was founded in 2014 in Newport, Kentucky, and is known for its bottled-in-bond bourbons and ryes.
"Northern Kentucky’s superpower is working together to lift up our community," said Dave Knox, executive director of Blue North.
Representatives of LifeSciKY, Blue North and community partners will hand-select the single barrel.
Bottles can be pre-ordered from July 13 to August 4 for $69.99 (£52) each. A limited number will be available, with pickup instructions coordinated by LifeSciKY.
