Derby bourbon season is here

It’s officially Derby bourbon season, with distilleries rolling out Derby-themed bottles. Evan Williams, an official sponsor of the Kentucky Derby Festival, got things started with a special edition bottling of its single barrel bourbon.

The bottle is dipped in emerald green wax and features a face label with a gold and green Derby Festival logo and an official Pegasus Pin in an envelope attached to each bottle. Just 600 of the bottles were created.

The bottles will be sold at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience for at select area retailers while supplies last, with a retail price of $74.99. The 2012 vintage bourbon is bottled at 113 proof in tribute to this year being the 65th Kentucky Derby Festival plus the 48th Pegasus Pin anniversary (add the numbers).

Each bottle also contains the exact day it was put in an oak barrel to age, the barrel number, and the date it was bottled.

“Just like the Pegasus Pins, we know fans will want to add this special edition bottle to their collection too,” Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO, said in a news release.

Meanwhile, Woodford Reserve announced it will unveil its 2020 Derby bottle, a tradition that has now reached 21 years.

A former (and unnamed) professional baseball player created the design for the 2020 edition. The bottle will be revealed March 2 at a press conference. Woodford also will announce a new partnership with Stoneware & Co. to benefit the Backside Learning Center at Churchill Downs.

Barton 1792, Buffalo Trace winners at World Whiskies Awards

Unrelated to Derby, a pair of Barton 1792 Distillery whiskies were awarded medals at the 2020 American World Whiskies Awards.

The distillery’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey got a gold medal, while the Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey took home a bronze medal in the awards, which were held in New York City. The American World Whiskies Awards are presented by Whisky Magazine.

Meanwhile, Buffalo Trace was named 2020 Distiller of the Year and Visitor Attraction of the Year at the event, while E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye was voted the Best American Rye Whiskey of 2020 and four other Buffalo Trace products also took silver and bronze awards. 

Buffalo Trace also recently announced that nearly 300,000 people visited the distillery last year, a 35% increase over 2018.