Maker's Mark's Tradition of Commemorative Kentucky Wildcats Bourbon Bottles

The Story Behind Maker's Mark Kentucky Wildcats Bottles

Maker's Mark, the iconic Kentucky bourbon brand with its distinctive red wax seals, is no stranger to producing special edition bottles that commemorate people, places, and events. One of their most popular special edition series over the years has featured the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Maker's Mark's Strong Ties to Kentucky

As a proud Kentucky product, Maker's Mark has a natural affiliation with Kentucky's beloved college sports teams, especially the reigning national champions: the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team. With its scenic distillery located in Loretto, Kentucky, Maker's Mark produces all its bourbon within the Bluegrass State.

Beginning in the 1990s, Maker's Mark began releasing limited edition Wildcats bottles to celebrate moments like conference titles and championship victories. For diehard Big Blue Nation fans who also enjoy one of Kentucky's signature bourbon brands, these bottles quickly became collectibles.

Commemorating Great Moments in Wildcats History

Over the years, Maker's Mark has commemorated great moments in UK basketball history by releasing limited edition runs of their iconic bottles with one-of-a-kind Wildcats-themed wax. Some of these milestone moments include the 1996 and 2012 national championship victories.

In 2012, Maker's Mark released a limited run of only 2012 bottles to celebrate Coach John Calipari's first national title with the Wildcats. However, it was the 1996 championship team bottles that seemed to catch the most attention among collectors.

The 1996 National Championship Team Bottles

To celebrate the 1996 Wildcats cutting down the nets to an emotional national championship victory, Maker's Mark released a 1996 bottle series highlighting each player from the famous "Untouchables" team. Each wax seal featured the jersey number of a star like Antoine Walker, Derek Anderson, or "King" Tony Delk.

Over the years since their release, the 1996 UK player bottles have become some of the most coveted and expensive Maker's Mark Wildcats bottles. Unopened bottles often sell for $500 or more online, with special bottles like the one commemorating Walter McCarty going for nearly $900.

New Traditions Lead to Continued Success

As both the Wildcats and Maker's Mark continued their winning traditions year after year, Maker's Mark continued releasing new UK specialty bottles. To celebrate the Wildcats' dominant 38-1 season in 2015 that ended just short of perfection, Maker's Mark even released a series of 38 different designed bottles.

While some fans and collectors grumbled that Maker's Mark was saturating the market, demand has hardly slowed down for these eye-catching bottles. After all the success and attention generated for both brands over the years, don't expect the pipeline of new designs highlighting Big Blue Nation to dry up any time soon.

The Hunt for Rare Wildcats Bottles Continues

For Wildcats fans and bourbon lovers alike, the decades-long tradition of Maker's Mark Kentucky basketball commemorative bottles only seems to be growing stronger. As more championship moments and remarkable seasons continue to come, so too will new shiny, red-waxed bottles bearing the name of Kentucky basketball legends.

So if you get word of a limited release of Maker's Mark's latest batch of Final Four, National Champion, or MVP bottles, be sure to get your bottle quick. Because as any collector knows, tomorrow a new Kentucky star will emerge, and a new elusive Wildcats bottle hunt will begin anew.

FAQs

When did Maker's Mark start releasing commemorative Wildcats bottles?

Maker's Mark began releasing special edition University of Kentucky Wildcats bottles in the 1990s to celebrate major accomplishments like championship victories and title runs.

How much do the Maker's Mark 1996 national championship bottles cost?

The 1996 UK championship team bottles are some of the most expensive and coveted. Unopened bottles often sell for $500 or more, with the Walter McCarty bottle going for close to $900.

How limited are the Maker's Mark Wildcats releases?

Most commemorative Wildcats bottle releases from Maker's Mark are limited edition production runs tied to the milestone being celebrated. For example, only 2012 bottles of the 2012 championship edition were made.

Where's the best place to buy collectible Wildcats Maker's Mark bottles?

Online sites like eBay and bourbon secondary markets are good spots to find collectible Maker's Mark Kentucky Wildcats bottles, but they often come at steep prices and without guarantees of authenticity.