(Credit: Diageo)
Bulleit has introduced its first new brand extension in a decade and a half, and this new bottle is their first-ever hybrid at that. Bulleit ’87 was designed to be sipped neat to showcase the unique flavor characteristics, and marries bourbon and rye whiskeys in one balanced blend. The new expression is named in honor of 1987, the year Bulleit was founded.
Bulleit ’87 is bottled at 90 proof and 45% ABV, with each whiskey component developed specifically for its role in the blend. The bourbon is distilled, barreled, and aged in Shelbyville, Kentucky. The rye is distilled and aged in Indiana before heading to Shelbyville. Both the bourbon and rye are aged for a minimum of four years, finished separately in their original barrels with toasted American oak and French oak staves for four to six weeks, then blended together and bottled in Shelbyville.
“If I were to visualize it, it’s like a cake,” said Phil Gelineau, Whiskey R&D Manager at Bulleit. “The bourbon is your delicious sponge, the rye is like chocolate shavings on top, and the staves are the buttercream that brings it all together.”
The suggested retail price for Bulleit ’87 is $29.99 for a 750mL bottle, in line with Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit 95 Rye, and it will be available at select retail stores nationwide beginning September 2026.
