Maker’s Mark releases unique bourbon bottles for Keeneland spring meet. But they’ll go fast.
Maker’s Mark has revealed its commemorative bourbon bottle to celebrate the beginning of Keeneland’s spring meet, which starts Friday.
The bottle will feature three distinct label designs from artists Sandra Oppegard, Andre Pater and Tyler Robertson, Maker’s Mark said in a news release. The artwork depicts the winning jockeys from the 2022 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which was held at Keeneland in the fall.
“Keeneland and Maker’s Mark continue to be excellent partners of the arts and their significant corporate support is to be commended,” LexArts President and CEO Ame Sweetall said in a news release. “In this community-building legacy project, cleverly hidden miniature horse sculptures will continue to celebrate Lexington as the Horse Capital of the World and will include additional educational engagement opportunities for Lexington’s residents and visitors.”
The bottles are signed by the artists who designed the label. A signature from one of the three winning jockeys from the Breeders’ Cup are also on the bottle, Maker’s Mark said.
Fewer than 10,000 bottles will be made available for sale at Kentucky liquor stores Friday. Maker’s Mark said all the bottles generally sell out in one day.
The proceeds from the bottles’ sales will go towards the creation of a permanent public art legacy project. The plan for the project is to place miniature bronze horses through downtown Lexington to showcase stories of Kentucky culture.
This is the 26th consecutive year that Maker’s Mark and Keeneland have teamed up for a commemorative bottle release. The tradition has raised millions of dollars for causes across Kentucky, Maker’s Mark said.
“Maker’s Mark shares LexArts’ enthusiasm for celebrating and sharing Kentucky culture. It’s why we invite thousands of visitors to come to our home in Loretto each year, and why lasting partnerships with organizations like Keeneland are so important to us,” Managing Director Rob Samuels, who’s also an eighth-generation bourbon maker, said in the news release.
“We are honored to use the funds raised through this year’s commemorative bottles to support LexArts and public art projects throughout the state.”
