As our coverage of Kentucky Derby 150 and events continue on BourbonBlog.com, Woodford Reserve tells us this is the rarest whiskey in the Woodford brand’s 27-year history.
As Woodford Reserve is the presenting sponsor for 2024’s 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, this thrice-barreled American whiskey has rested in three unique casks
- The original bourbon barrel,
- A Cognac cask
- A couture barrel whose staves were seasoned in the Kentucky Derby Winner’s Circle (pictured below).
With only 150 bottles available, it is presented in a crystal decanter created by the artisans of renowned French Maison Baccarat. Each bottle is priced at $15,000 and arrives in a bespoke leather carrying case for the 700 ml bottle.
To pay homage to the famed Garland of Roses, Baccarat infused the decanter’s crystal stopper with 24K gold to create a striking red color.
How To Get a Bottle:
Unless you’re the owner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby-winning horse—in which case you will be presented with a decanter during the Garland of Roses ceremony at Churchill Downs—there are three other ways you can acquire a bottle.
1st: A limited number of bottles are available now for purchase on Woodford Reserve’s website through two pick-up dates at the distillery.
2ndL Beginning March 28, a small number of bottles will also be offered for purchase at the distillery gift shop along with limited in-store availability at fine retailers in Kentucky.
3rd :One bottle is being donated by Woodford Reserve to charity – The Backside Learning Center, which assists families who work on the backside of Churchill Downs, caring for the thoroughbreds. The center will auction this rare bottle to raise funds for its programs.
“This decanter embodies the spirit of Kentucky and the spectacle of Derby,” Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall tells us.