LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky Senator Bourbon is toasting champion filly Nitrogen with a nine-year-old, 113-proof private-barrel release that launches its new Thoroughbred Legacy Series, connecting Kentucky’s bourbon heritage with its celebrated horse industry.
Selected and bottled by Potter Jane Distilling Company in Springfield for Kentucky Senator Spirits, the inaugural release honors D.J. Stable’s standout filly with a customized bottle and a proof chosen to reflect her racing accomplishments.
The 113 proof pays tribute to Nitrogen’s highest career Beyer Speed Figure when the bourbon release was produced. Her photograph appears prominently on the front label, while the back features her biography and D.J. Stable’s maroon silks with white diamonds.
For Kentucky Senator Spirits co-founders Andre Regard and Damon Thayer, the project offers a new way to celebrate the horses and people who shape Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry.
“Nitrogen’s name says it all,” said Regard, an equine attorney who founded the company with Thayer, then Kentucky Senate majority floor leader. “Even in her early training, Hall of Famer Mark Casse said that the filly ‘breathes different air,’ hence her name. She’s the perfect horse to kick off our Thoroughbred Legacy Series, which toasts Kentucky’s two iconic industries: horses and bourbon.”
The bottle’s tribute describes Nitrogen as possessing a “fearless spirit, exceptional balance and championship heart,” qualities the brand connects with the whiskey’s bold, refined character.
The bourbon itself comes from Kentucky Senator stock stored at Potter Jane’s Springfield distillery. Aged nine years, the inaugural selection exceeds the Legacy Series’ minimum age requirement of six years.
Every release in the series will be distilled, aged and bottled in Kentucky, with individual bottles customized to honor a horse, farm or another equine subject chosen by the customer. Bottles are not available for individual purchase by the public.
That private-barrel approach makes the collection an option for owners and industry connections seeking gifts for family, friends, clients and partners, as well as bottles for charitable occasions.
“We may never have another horse like Nitrogen,” said Jon Green, general manager of D.J. Stable, which he owns with his father, Len. “Having a Nitrogen Legacy Series bourbon is one way to continue to celebrate and toast her for years to come.”
Green said the partnership reflects the importance of finding the right match, whether in breeding horses or developing business relationships.
“When trying to breed a champion, pedigree match-ups are so important,” he said. “The same is true with business relationships, and it’s been great working with Kentucky Senator Bourbon.”
The Green family plans to share the release with friends, clients and industry charities, while keeping bottles for special occasions.
Nitrogen’s racing career provides the story behind the inaugural tribute. The announcement highlights her performances across dirt, turf and wet conditions, along with major stakes victories and championship recognition. D.J. Stable, which also bred the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, has announced plans for her to continue racing next year.
For Thayer, the series creates an additional connection between two industries he supported during his 22 years in the Kentucky Legislature. Now a horse racing adviser and advocate, he sees the customized releases as both keepsakes and promotional opportunities.
“The Legacy Series is ideal for promoting a cherished horse or equine operation, creating one-of-a-kind gifts for family, friends, partners or clients, as well as a fun and effective way to promote the bottle subject,” Thayer said.
“We guarantee that every private barrel will be distilled, aged and bottled with care and passion as we create a fitting tribute for a beloved horse or property.”
The new collection expands Kentucky Senator Bourbon’s established tradition of pairing whiskey with Kentucky history.
Since its first revived release in 2021, the brand has named its small-batch bourbons for U.S. senators from the commonwealth. The 2026 edition commemorates the late Jim Bunning, whose career included both induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and election to the U.S. Senate.
The core Kentucky Senator releases are bottled at 107 proof and aged at least six years, matching the length of a Senate term, with some expressions carrying older age statements.
Its 2025 release honoring John Brown, elected to the Senate in 1792, earned a Double Gold Medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The Kentucky Senator brand was originally distilled and bottled by Crigler & Crigler in Covington and later by Double Springs Distillers Inc. in Bardstown. Regard and Thayer lead its revival, bringing their own ties to the industry: Regard is a descendant of bourbon figure Basil Hayden, and Thayer is a Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member.
With Nitrogen’s inaugural bottling, that historical focus now includes a private collection designed to preserve Thoroughbred legacies in Kentucky bourbon.
More information is available at KySenatorBourbon.com.
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