Beam Institute students gain global spirits experience in Scotland
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 25, 2026) — Bourbon is one of the Commonwealth’s signature industries, but Kentuckians aren’t the only group to pride themselves on their whisky. Students from the University of Kentucky James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits (JBBI) and the Lewis Honors College traveled to Scotland this summer to learn more about how spirits are made and marketed around the world.
Sixteen students from several University of Kentucky colleges spent three weeks in Edinburgh. They experienced tours at distilleries, spent day trips discovering surrounding cities and worked together on their assignments. The Lewis Honors College split the students into groups according to their working and learning styles with the goal of increasing confidence by bringing together students who share communication styles and interests.
One of the student projects was in partnership with Ballindalloch Distillery, a recent addition to the Estate Whiskey Alliance (EWA). This group’s assignment was to determine a plan for Ballindalloch to promote a new estate product to American consumers. In discussions with the EWA, a representative from Ballindalloch learned that students working on the project were planning to be in Scotland and wanted them to come see the distillery.
“It was a real pleasure to welcome the students to Ballindalloch,” said Aidan Dunn, international sales representative for the distillery. “Their enthusiasm, curiosity and willingness to get involved made them a pleasure to work with, and it was refreshing to see them applying their academic knowledge in a real distillery environment. Partnerships like these strengthen the future of the whisky industry and create lasting connections between education and the people working within it.”
One student on the Ballindalloch project, Jacob Keaton, is studying landscape architecture at the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and working toward his Distillation, Wine and Brewing Sciences (DWB) Certificate. In addition to the trip aligning with his interests, he also was hungry for adventure.
“The program was wonderful in exploring the industry as a whole and understanding the different pieces that make up Scottish whisky,” Keaton said. “Travel provided a great chance for me to see a different perspective on things, like how I can interact with unfamiliar places, things and people. I was trying to plan and prioritize my experience, but once we arrived I learned to simply enjoy the ride.”
Ilka Balk, associate director at JBBI, traveled to Scotland with the students. While there, she supervised the project work and curated experiences to appeal to the multidisciplinary student group. Balk is no stranger to Scotland, having traveled there in both personal and professional capacities.
“Everywhere you go in Scotland, Kentucky comes up,” said Balk, who co-led the trip with Sally Foster, Lewis Honors College assistant dean for student engagement. “Distilleries over there use our casks for aging and are always friendly and warm to our students. Feels like a little piece of home for us while we’re visiting.”
EWA offers membership and product certification, which is what Ballindalloch Distillery is currently working toward. This classification on a bottle ensures that all production processes occur on the estate distillery and at least two-thirds of all mash bill grains are grown on estate-owned or estate-controlled land.
“Opportunities like this are exactly why the Estate Whiskey Alliance was founded: to foster connections that advance the estate whiskey community,” said Alexa Narel, associate director of the EWA. “Ballindalloch has gone above and beyond as our first EWA member in Scotland, opening its doors to JBBI students for an estate tour and a research collaboration exploring how regions define estate whiskey. We’re excited to build on this momentum, pairing more members with UK students for experiential learning and welcoming new distilleries along the way.”
The DWB certificate is available to all UK students — graduate and undergraduate. Learn more about the program online. Learn more about the EWA at estatewhiskey.org.