LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As an official sponsor of the Kentucky Derby Festival, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience will release a special edition bottle of 2009 Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon to commemorate the 2017 Kentucky Derby Festival. The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience will also be the sole location providing Pegasus Pins through March 6.
Dipped in a unique gold wax with a commemorative pin sealed atop the cap, the bottle features a special face label with the Kentucky Derby Festival logo, and includes a 2017 Pegasus Pin in an envelope attached to each bottle. Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Artisanal Distiller Charlie Downs and Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Mike Brown unveiled the official 2017 pin and limited edition bottle at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Thursday, Feb. 16, by personally hand-dipping two of the limited edition bottles.
This bottle will be available for purchase at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and other area retailers for $74.99 while supplies last.
The limited edition 2009 vintage is bottled at 107 proof, commemorating both the 62nd Kentucky Derby Festival and 45th Pegasus Pin anniversary. Like a fine wine, each bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon contains the exact day it was put in an oak barrel to age.
The Bourbon is matured in natural open-rick warehouses under the careful supervision of Heaven Hill’s Master Distillers, who monitor the progress of each year’s vintage to ensure it maintains its intended flavor profile and superb quality.
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage has won five “Whiskey of the Year” awards and is one of the most critically-acclaimed specialty Bourbons produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, the world’s second largest holder of aging Bourbon.
“The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is proud to partner with the Kentucky Derby Festival to share the unique Kentucky spirit that is unmatched elsewhere,” said Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Artisanal Distiller Charlie Downs. “We’re honored to raise a toast to Kentucky’s heritage and welcome Festival Fans across the globe to join in celebrating the 2017 Kentucky Derby.”
Bringing the community together since 1956, the Kentucky Derby Festival has grown to become a whirlwind of more than 70 special events leading up to the big race in May. The Kentucky Derby Festival runs this year from April 20 – May 5. Pegasus Pins, which allow entry to Derby Festival events, may be purchased at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience as well.
“We couldn’t think of a better a pairing of two entities. Both the Derby Festival and Evan Williams Bourbon are part of Kentucky’s history and tradition,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “We know this special edition bottle will be very popular with pin collectors and Festival Fans alike.”
About Kentucky Derby Festival: Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
About the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience: The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience® (www.EvanWilliamsBourbonExperience.com) celebrates the legacy of Evan Williams, Kentucky’s first commercial distiller, through an immersive visitor’s center experience which brings to life the history and tradition of Kentucky’s native spirit. An official stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, the facility offers guests a historical glimpse back in time to see Evan Williams’ original distillery through high definition video recreations of the Louisville wharf and Main Street in the late 18th Century, plus recreations of Whiskey Row building facades along Main Street from the 1890’s through the present. Meanwhile, visitors learn the essential differences between distilling during Evan Williams’ era and Heaven Hill’s modern Bernheim Distillery operations.
