UK Athletics Announces Multiyear Partnership with Heaven Hill Brands, Names Elijah Craig and Evan Williams Official Partners of the Kentucky Wildcats
LEXINGTON, KY– Today, UK Athletics announced a landmark multiyear partnership with Heaven Hill Brands – America’s largest, independent, family-owned and led spirits company and the steward of Kentucky’s most celebrated Bourbons – naming Elijah Craig the Official Small Batch Bourbon Partner of the Kentucky Wildcats and Evan Williams the Official Bourbon Partner of the Kentucky Wildcats.
The agreement represents a natural union of two institutions that are, in many ways, inseparable from Kentucky’s identity. The University of Kentucky has anchored the Commonwealth’s academic and athletic life since 1865. Heaven Hill, founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, has spent nearly a century building a portfolio of American whiskeys that defines what Kentucky craftsmanship looks like at its finest. In Big Blue Nation and Heaven Hill’s family of bourbons, you find the same DNA: pride of place, devotion to craft, a tradition of excellence, and a deeply committed fanbase. Both cultures run deep in this Commonwealth. This partnership finally puts them in the same room.
“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. “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. This partnership creates exciting new opportunities to enhance the fan experience, celebrate our shared Kentucky heritage, and support the future of UK Athletics.”
At the heart of the partnership’s premium tier, Elijah Craig will make a transformative investment in UK Athletics’ marquee facilities. The brand will hold naming rights to two of the most prominent premium hospitality destinations for collegiate athletics in the region: the Mezzanine Club at Kroger Field will transform into the “Elijah Craig Club,” and the Bourbon Club at Rupp Arena will welcome fans into the new “Elijah Craig Speakeasy.” Both venues will be reimagined as fully immersive Elijah Craig destinations, featuring custom design elements drawn from the rich heritage and character of Kentucky’s signature spirit.
Alongside Elijah Craig’s premium presence, Evan Williams, named after Kentucky’s first licensed distiller, brings Game Day’s Number One Pour to Big Blue Nation as an official collegiate partner through the Evan Williams Bourbon Nation program. As a Bourbon Nation partner, Evan Williams will show up where fans do: activating at tailgates and fan zones on gamedays, bringing the spirit of the #1 America-owned Bourbon directly to the heart of the Wildcat faithful.
The partnership will also introduce a series of limited-edition, co-branded bottles of Elijah Craig and Evan Williams, celebrating the connection between the Commonwealth’s flagship university and one of the state’s most celebrated independent distilleries. The inaugural release will feature an Elijah Craig barrel hand-picked by UK Athletics Director and CEO of Champions Blue LLC J Batt, who traveled to Bardstown to personally select the bourbon barrel, marking the launch of the partnership and the beginning of his first football season at UK. The exclusive bottles will provide fans a unique opportunity to celebrate their connection to UK with a bourbon crafted specifically for Big Blue Nation.
“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. Whether you are in a premium suite or a tailgate lot, we want every Kentucky fan to feel the depth of this partnership, and we are proud to be part of Big Blue Nation.”
The agreement was developed by JMI Sports – UK Athletics’ multimedia rights partner operating locally as UK Sports and Campus Marketing – who connected Heaven Hill with UK Athletics and led the strategic development of the partnership, including naming rights agreements, licensing and trademark approvals, pouring rights, and integrated multimedia activations designed to connect Elijah Craig and Evan Williams with Big Blue Nation through athletics platforms and authentic gameday experiences.
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ABOUT HEAVEN HILL BRANDS
Founded in 1935, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Brands (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and -led spirits company, as well as the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon and the third-largest supplier of Tequila. Heaven Hill has been named a Best Managed Company from 2024-2026 by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes the Heaven Hill Whiskey family of brands, Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Widow Jane, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, and Henry McKenna Bourbons; Rittenhouse Rye Whisky; Deep Eddy Vodka; Admiral Nelson’s Rum; Black Velvet Canadian Whisky; Lunazul and Ocho Tequila; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; and Carolans Irish Cream Liqueur.
ABOUT UK ATHLETICS
UK Athletics is a leader in college sports, sponsoring 23 varsity sports teams (12 women’s teams, 10 men’s teams, plus the coed rifle team) and hundreds of student-athletes, competing for championships, ensuring their education and well-being, and providing opportunities for the present and future. With the leadership of Athletics Director/CEO J Batt, UK Athletics operates as Champions Blue, LLC. The non-profit holding company, a first of its kind in college athletics, is designed to provide the department with the flexibility to unlock new revenue streams through public-private partnerships and potentially other transactions, such as real estate.
ABOUT JMI SPORTS
JMI Sports is a leading media rights and venue development company that provides management of collegiate multimedia rights, sponsorship sales agency representation, and project management expertise for the development of collegiate and professional sports facilities. The company serves to maximize each client’s economic potential through customized initiatives, from marketing and branding solutions to facility design strategies.
JMI Sports’ signature collegiate multimedia rights partnerships include the University of Kentucky, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, Columbia University, San Diego State University, University of California at San Diego, University of San Diego, and joint-venture properties at the University of Georgia (with Learfield), University of Notre Dame (with Legends), and Northwestern University (with Legends). JMI Sports also represents multimedia rights for several conferences, including the Ivy League, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Patriot League, and the Atlantic 10, and serves as third-party sales representation for premier sports properties, venues, and events including Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, the Rose Bowl, the Penn Relays, and USA Volleyball.
JMI Sports was founded in 2006 by CEO Erik Judson and technology entrepreneur John Moores, former owner of the San Diego Padres. To learn more, please visit jmisports.com.
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