LEXINGTON, KY — Kentucky Senator Bourbon today announced the release of its seventh small batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey: The Jim Bunning Release. The limited edition, vintage bourbon, hitting shelves later this month into April, is the second in a vertical series with the John Edwards Release, featuring the same bourbon aged one additional year. The release is named for Jim Bunning (1931-2017), the only Major League Baseball player elected to both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the United States Senate.
“Jim Bunning gave bourbon its official recognition as America’s Native Spirit, and we’re proud to honor that contribution,” said co-founder Andre Regard, a direct descendant of bourbon pioneer Basil Hayden. “This vertical series allows collectors to experience how this bourbon develops with an additional year of aging.”
The Jim Bunning Release is aged eight and a half years and bottled at 107 proof. The mash bill consists of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. Approximately 4,000 bottles will be available at a suggested retail price of $119.99, the same price as last year’s award-winning John Edwards release. The bourbon is distilled and aged in Kentucky and bottled at Bardstown Bourbon Company. Distribution is handled by Kentucky Eagle Wine & Spirits.
“Bunning’s Senate Resolution 294 was a landmark moment for the bourbon industry,” said co-founder Damon Thayer, a 2025 inductee into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame for his legislative advocacy work. “This release, and the continuation of our vertical series, reflects our commitment to both quality and Kentucky’s bourbon heritage.”
Bunning served two terms in the U.S. Senate from 1999 to 2012. On August 2, 2007, he introduced Senate Resolution 294, which designated September as National Bourbon Heritage Month and established the phrase “America’s Native Spirit” as bourbon’s official designation. Visit https://kysenatorbourbon.com/ for more information.
The Jim Bunning Release will be available at select Kentucky retailers, bars, and restaurants, as well as online at www.KySenatorBourbon.com. A limited quantity will be featured at Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C., and the Premier Drams Bottle Shop.
For more information about Jim Bunning and the Kentucky Senator Bourbon portfolio, visit https://kysenatorbourbon.com/
About Jim Bunning:
Jim Bunning (1931-2017) was born in Southgate, Kentucky. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, earning nine All-Star selections. On June 21, 1964, he pitched a perfect game for the Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Mets, the first perfect game in the National League since 1880. He retired with 224 wins and 2,855 strikeouts and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. Bunning served on the Southgate City Council, in the Kentucky State Senate, and in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served from 1999 to 2012.
