UK distilling students release second Wildcask Bourbon. What’s new this year
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- University of Kentucky students release 2026 Wildcask Bourbon in 750mL and 375mL sizes.
- 2026 blend is 100-proof combining Jim Beam, Four Roses and two Bardstown barrels.
- Students handled blending, branding, compliance and presale at March Beam conference.
Wildcask Bourbon, the whiskey produced by students in the University of Kentucky James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits, is coming out with a second edition.
The inaugural release in 2025 was such a hit with collectors they decided to release it in two sizes: This year, it will be available as a 750mL for $69.99 and a 375mL for $34.99, so you can have one to keep and one to taste.
This year’s version is a 100-proof blend of whiskeys from Jim Beam, Four Roses and two Bardstown Bourbon barrels, according to a news release.
“The students continue to impress with this 2026 edition,” said Seth DeBolt, director of the institute, which is the largest teaching distillery in the world. “The level of energy, enthusiasm and learning is wonderful. They used the mash bills to blend one of the smoothest whiskies you will meet, and I’m truly blown away.”
A group of 10 students from several UK colleges, including nontraditional students, worked since August on the blend and branding. To distinguish from the first year’s version, they chose a slightly different label with an image of campus landmark the W.T. Young Library, rather than an image of the Beam Institute.
The students had to work their way through federal compliance regulations, distribution, supplies procurement and financial obligations, including taxes, to create the final product, DeBolt said.
“The course offers an unprecedented opportunity to learn from the best in the industry while working towards releasing a bourbon onto the market,” said Maksymilian Podraza, a student who travels from Illinois to take the class. “The course didn’t just provide information, it also introduced us to influential people in the industry that helped shape the end product. As someone who’s passionate about spirits and the industry, taking this class was a no-brainer.”
Wildcask Bourbon 2026 will be available for presale at the Beam Industry Conference March 16 to 18, and attendees can reserve a bottle. Bottles also will be available at a launch event on campus later this spring and at a limited number of Kentucky retailers starting in April.
