Single Barrel Bourbon to be selected by Secretariat owner Penny Chenery; Collector’s bottle features checks of blue and white jockey silk
Four Roses Bourbon’s celebration of the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s record-breaking Triple Crown is off and running. After announcing a partnership with the Kentucky Derby Museum last month to produce a retro-inspired ceramic decanter, the distillery today released images of a second commemorative product, a collectible bottle of single barrel bourbon honoring Secretariat.
Secretariat’s owner, Penny Chenery, with Four Roses Master Distiller Jim Rutledge, will select the single barrel bourbon during a visit next week to Four Roses’ warehouse and bottling facility in Cox’s Creek, Ky.
The front of the bottle will feature an image of Secretariat with jockey Ron Turcotte, while one side will list Secretariat’s unmatched finishing times in the three races of the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. The neck of the bottle is adorned with the blue and white checks of the Meadow Stables jockey silks.
Four Roses will produce only 3,500 Secretariat bottles, which will be available for purchase this spring at select retail outlets along the Triple Crown trail in Kentucky, Maryland and New York. The Secretariat bottles also will be available for purchase at the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, Ky., beginning April 27. Jim Rutledge will be available for bottle signings that day at the Museum’s gift shop from 1 to 3 p.m.
Secretariat is widely renowned as the best and most popular thoroughbred in racing history. Beginning with his run in the 99th Kentucky Derby, Secretariat smashed long-standing track records in 1973 and captured the hearts of Americans during his Triple Crown sweep. Those records still stand to this day. The chestnut champion affectionately known as “Big Red,” and his owner, Penny Chenery, became an inspiration to many in a story of will, determination and pure speed.
The commemorative Secretariat bottle is the second component of Four Roses’ tribute to Big Red’s anniversary. In February, Four Roses and the Kentucky Derby Museum announced a partnership to release a specially created ceramic bourbon decanter, created in the style of the popular 1970s-era collectibles. The Four Roses decanter will resemble a full-bodied Secretariat, with jockey Ron Turcotte aboard. Just 500 hand-numbered ceramic decanters will be produced and will be sold at a ticketed event at the Kentucky Derby Museum on May 1.
“These will be very special bourbons, honoring a very special horse,” said Master Distiller Jim Rutledge.
Proceeds from the sale of both the Secretariat bottle and the decanter will be dedicated to preserving the history of the Kentucky Derby at the Kentucky Derby Museum and to the Secretariat Foundation benefitting equine-related causes within the racing industry.
Click here for information on the Secretariat Decanter Launch Party.
Four Roses Bourbon Unveils Commemorative Secretariat Bottle
