LEXINGTON, Ky. — UK Athletics announced a multiyear partnership Thursday with Heaven Hill Brands, naming Elijah Craig the Official Small Batch Bourbon Partner of the Kentucky Wildcats and Evan Williams the Official Bourbon Partner of the Wildcats.

The agreement represents what UK Athletics Director J Batt called a "natural union of two institutions that are, in many ways, inseparable from Kentucky's identity." Heaven Hill, founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, is America's largest independent, family-owned spirits company. The University of Kentucky, founded in 1865, anchors the Commonwealth's academic and athletic life.

At the partnership's premium tier, Elijah Craig will fund a transformative investment in UK Athletics facilities. The brand will hold naming rights to the Mezzanine Club at Kroger Field, which will become the "Elijah Craig Club," and the Bourbon Club at Rupp Arena, which will transform into the "Elijah Craig Speakeasy." Both venues will be reimagined as fully immersive Elijah Craig destinations.

Evan Williams, named after Kentucky's first licensed distiller, will activate as a gameday presence through the Evan Williams Bourbon Nation program, appearing at tailgates and fan zones during Wildcat events. Heaven Hill will maintain features for both brands across Kroger Field, Rupp Arena, Historic Memorial Coliseum, and Kentucky Proud Park hospitality spaces.

The partnership will also introduce limited-edition, co-branded bottles celebrating the connection between the university and the distillery. The inaugural release will feature an Elijah Craig barrel hand-picked by Batt, who traveled to Bardstown to personally select the bourbon as his first football season begins at UK.

"Bourbon is foundational to the uniqueness of Kentucky's culture and economy," Batt said in a statement. "This partnership creates exciting new opportunities to enhance the fan experience, celebrate our shared Kentucky heritage, and support the future of UK Athletics."

JMI Sports, UK Athletics' multimedia rights partner, developed the agreement and connected Heaven Hill with the university.