Woodford Reserve, the Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby, is honoring "The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports" with the release of its 2023 commemorative Kentucky Derby bottle. This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's stunning 1973 Derby win, still the fastest in history at 1:59 2/5.

Woodford Reserve Rye uses a pre-prohibition style ratio of 53% rye in its mash bill to pay homage to history's original rye whiskeys, making spice and tobacco the dominant note among a sea of fruit, floral, and sweet aromatics, which yields a nice sweetness and overall balance.

Woodford Reserve Every year, Woodford Reserve, the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, releases a limited-edition bottle featuring the work of a noted artist.

1999 Woodford Reserve's Derby bottle has been an annual collector's item anticipated by bourbon and racing fans since 1999. Woodford Reserve, “Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby,” is crafted at the historic Woodford Reserve Distillery, tucked in the heart of thoroughbred country in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Kentucky Derby is an event like no other. It's a celebration of the finest thoroughbred horses, their impressive abilities, and the people who have made it all possible. A combination of skill, luck and determination guides the horse and jockey to the winning post.

The Derby is known as "The Run for the Roses," as the winning horse is draped in a blanket of roses. Lasting approximately two minutes, the race has also been called "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports" or "The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports." It is preceded by the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival.

CAPSULE REVIEW It is bottled in a handmade crystal decanter that took five days to create in Baccarat, France. As has been done in the scotch and cognac world for years, it's this piece of Baccarat glass that is very valuable thus driving up the price.

Woodford Reserve is a great bourbon for its cost, as you'll be hard-pressed to find a better bottle in the $40 range.

the Mint Julep cocktail Considered the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, the Mint Julep cocktail is a beverage made using sugar, bourbon, and mint leaves.

The Mint Julep The Mint Julep has been the traditional beverage of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for nearly a century.

History. The county was formed from a part of Fayette County, Virginia in 1788. It was named for William Woodford, an American Revolutionary War general from Virginia who died while a prisoner of war in 1780. It was the last of the original nine counties established that formed the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1792.

The idea of the hat has been around since the beginning of the Kentucky Derby, with Col. Meriwether Clark Jr.'s decision to model the races after British horseracing whom had a strict dress code for both men and women, including hats.