Not sure what to expect, a small group of students headed to their first day of class in a new course in August of 2024. At the University of Kentucky, they debuted the first brand of distilled spirits today.
A Unique Learning Experience at JBBI
Under the UK James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits (JBBI), Honorary Professor Herb Heneman’s Commercialisation of Distilled Spirits course taught students how a bourbon brand is born following the spirit’s creation. Heneman divided the class into teams in the fall to discuss and present ideas to one another—what name the brand should have, what the label should look like, how to bottle and treat the spirit?
“We wanted to give students a foundation for actually taking a bourbon from concept to completion,” Heneman said. “What better way to learn than by doing?”
Designing the WildCask Label
The four class groups go right to establish a name and label concepts for the spirit. Here Heneman provided pupils total creative freedom and eagerly anticipated knowing what motivated them.
In the group that presented WildCask was senior biomedical engineering student Mary Grace Vest.
“I thought since this was the first brand, it had to be something that represented not only the university, but the institute itself,” Vest said. “WildCask sort of just popped into my head, because it sounds like wildcat. The cask is the center of the story when it comes to bourbon. It spoke to the university, but it also speaks to the craft.”
Students wanted the label to be unique from the understated branding with little logos and text that can usually be found on liquor store shelves in order to make their product stand out most. Vest discussed another component of maintaining workmanship and tradition front and centre on the label: the White Oak tree centrepiece.
Combining the tree with the Beam Institute building drawing and the vivid blue label captures WildCask’s message: This spirit is for and inspired by the UK community. William Bahan of WBahan Design took the final brand pitch—a joint effort of the entire class during the second semester—then produced the artwork.
“I couldn’t be happier with what it looks like now. It’s so much better than our original pitch, so it’s awesome,” Vest said.
A Vision Realized: The Journey to WildCask’s Release
Under Director Seth DeBolt, the JBBI team has been waiting for this event from before the Beam Institute was formally established. They knew the aim: to create the first-ever distilled liquor from the biggest educational distillery in the world even before ground was broken on the facility.
DeBolt realised Heneman might be essential to achieving that target.
“Herb is a real industry legend, and he spent 30 years commercializing products in the industry across many categories,” DeBolt said. “His Rolodex of contacts and knowledge is second to none.”
From Classroom to Barrel: The Distilling Process
Heneman started the experiment by giving the Independent Stave Co. Boswell Family Warehouse on campus bourbon from his personal supply at Bardstown Bourbon Co. The twelve donated barrels ranged in age and had a combined worth of little less than $40,000. WildCask is the special mix created from Heneman’s barrels combining the product of barrels given by Freddie Noe and the James B. Beam Distilling Co. The class also visited the Bardstown Bourbon Co. bottling plant to have a behind-the-scenes view of daily spirit bottling operations.
“I’m so grateful to Herb for sharing his knowledge with us,” Vest said.
Public Debut and Distribution of WildCask
At the 2025 JBBI Industry Conference in March, JBBI gave the chance to reserve a bottle of the first batch. Those who reserved bottles were asked to buy and collect them on April 28 on campus. The in-person purchase and pickup requirement let customers meet Heneman, DeBolt, the student creators—many of them autographed bottles. Proceeds from the purchase of the debut release will be spent in students, research and JBBI programming.
Lessons in Distribution and Commercialization
WildCask designers also learnt a lesson in distribution through Heneman’s workshop. Consequently, a modest number of bottles were delivered to stores including Liquor Barn and Kroger Wine & Spirits.
“Making the liquid is one very important part,” DeBolt said. “But when you look at a pie chart of all the employment opportunities in this industry, probably about two-thirds of those opportunities are in the sales, marketing, procurement and other commercial aspects. Bringing this class in fills out our ability to meet our mission of creating the best graduates for the next generation of distillers and distillery workers.”
For more information on the Distillation, Wine and Brewing Certificate offered at the Beam Institute, visit https://beaminstitute.ca.uky.edu/.
University of Kentucky: A Hub for Innovation and Education
Operating as the flagship land-grant university for the state, the University of Kentucky exists to forward the Commonwealth. We achieve this by training the next generation of leaders — putting students first in all we do — and by using education, research, artistic expression, service, and health care to change the lives of Kentuckians.
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