Bulleit '87 Brings Bourbon and Rye Together in New Permanent Core Expression

Bulleit ’87 is the Brand’s First New Core Whiskey in More Than a Decade

After more than a decade without expanding its core lineup, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey is introducing a new permanent expression that combines the brand’s two signature styles into a single bottle.

Bulleit ’87 is the brand’s first new core release since the debut of Bulleit 95 Rye in 2011. Rather than creating another bourbon or another rye, Bulleit has blended the two together, producing a whiskey designed specifically for sipping neat or over ice.

Available beginning in September 2026 with a suggested retail price of $29.99, Bulleit ’87 joins Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit 95 Rye as the third permanent member of the distillery’s core portfolio.

A Blend That Reflects Bulleit’s History

The new whiskey takes its name from 1987, the year the Bulleit brand was founded. While the number might suggest an age statement, it instead pays tribute to the beginning of the modern Bulleit brand and its long-standing focus on high-rye whiskey.

Unlike many American whiskey blends, Bulleit ’87 starts with two fully matured whiskeys that are finished independently before being combined.

The bourbon component is distilled, aged, and finished in Shelbyville, Kentucky, while the rye is distilled and matured in Indiana before traveling to Kentucky. Both are aged for a minimum of four years before undergoing a four-to-six-week finishing period using toasted American oak and French oak staves. Only after that finishing process are the two whiskeys married together and bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV).

Toasted Oak Finishing Adds Another Layer

While bourbon-and-rye blends have become increasingly common in recent years, Bulleit differentiates ’87 by finishing each whiskey separately with toasted oak staves before blending.

According to Whiskey R&D Manager Phil Gelineau, each component serves a distinct role.

If I were to visualize it, it’s like a cake. 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 resulting whiskey opens with aromas of caramel and brown sugar before developing notes of baking spice and oak, finishing with a balanced combination of sweetness and rye spice.

A New Look for the Bulleit Portfolio

Bulleit ’87 will also stand apart visually from the rest of the lineup. While it retains the brand’s recognizable frontier-style bottle, the new release debuts with a bold blue label, marking the first time Bulleit has used the color for one of its core expressions.

The release arrives only weeks after Bulleit announced its ultra-limited 20-Year-Old Straight Rye, showing that Diageo continues to expand the brand with both collectible releases and everyday offerings.

Bulleit Takes ’87 on the Road

To introduce the new whiskey, Bulleit plans a nationwide sampling tour featuring stops in 15 cities, including Louisville, Austin, New Orleans, New York, and Los Angeles.

Each event will pair Bulleit ’87 with regional food specialties, highlighting the whiskey’s combination of bourbon sweetness and rye spice.

Bourbon and Rye Continue to Blur the Lines

American whiskey producers have increasingly experimented with blends that combine bourbon and rye, giving consumers an opportunity to experience the richness of bourbon alongside rye’s signature spice in a single pour.

For Bulleit, whose reputation was built first on a high-rye bourbon and later on its now-iconic 95% rye whiskey, Bulleit ’87 feels like a natural evolution of the portfolio rather than a departure from it.

Priced alongside the brand’s flagship expressions, Bulleit ’87 appears positioned to become an everyday sipping whiskey while offering longtime fans something noticeably different from either Bulleit Bourbon or Bulleit 95 Rye.

Whether it becomes a permanent favorite remains to be seen, but after waiting 15 years for a new core expression, Bulleit is making a statement with a whiskey that brings both sides of its identity together in one bottle.

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