Members of UK’s 1978 NCAA Championship team release limited-edition bourbon

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - It was nearly 45 years ago that Kyle Macy, Jack ‘Goose’ Givens and Rick Robey reached the pinnacle of college basketball.

Now, the three teammates from are letting the legend of their 1978 national championship help them to bridge the gap from one Kentucky staple to another - from basketball to bourbon.

These Kentucky legends say they won many battles over the years, and inevitably lost a few too.

They didn’t even know it, but their limited release bourbon, ‘78 Legends’ - a blend of a 50-year and a five-year-old bourbon - was already in the works through it all.

“When we won the national championship in 1978, this bourbon was already in the barrel and resting and going through the aging process,” said Givens.

Decades on from that triumph, they’ve taken on this new venture that gives them a chance to be a team once more.

“It’s kind of a fun way for us to get back together and relive some of the good old days,” Givens added.

Just as the bourbon has spent years aging, they admitted it’s been a few years since those playing days.

But they also see 78 Legends as a memento that allows the older generations to carry on the rich history of Kentucky basketball through Kentucky bourbon.

“It’s fun when people recall memories when we played, and then they pass that tradition on to their grandkids and children,” said Macy.

This is a true collectors’ item and it will cost a pretty penny to collect. 78 Legends has a limited release of only 1,978 bottles, and its retail price is set at $1,978.

Givens says to be on the lookout for more from this trio of champions too, adding that they’re not going to be one and dones.

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