Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Releases Annual, Limited Edition Kentucky Derby Festival Bourbon Bottle

The 2015 Vintage, 119 proof Bourbon is dipped in iridescent teal wax and features the 51^st Edition Gold Pegasus Pin on the bottle neck

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As an official sponsor of the Kentucky Derby Festival for the seventh consecutive year, the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience today released a special edition bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon with a commemorative 51^st Edition Gold Pegasus Pin sealed in wax on the neck.

Dipped in an iridescent teal wax, the bottle features a special face label with the coordinating teal and gold Kentucky Derby Festival logo and includes an official 2023 Pegasus Pin in an envelope attached to each bottle. Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Artisanal Distiller, Jodie Filiatreau, and Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO, Matt Gibson, unveiled the official 2023 pin and limited-edition bottle at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience by personally hand-dipping two of the 800 limited-edition bottles.

Beginning February 24, the Bourbon will be available for purchase at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience for $79.99 and at select area retailers while supplies last. The limited edition 2015 vintage is bottled at 119 proof, commemorating both the 68^th Kentucky Derby Festival plus the 51^st year for the Pegasus Pin. Each bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon contains the exact day it was put in an oak barrel to age, the barrel number, and the date it was bottled.

“Partnering with the Kentucky Derby Festival for this annual tradition is extremely special for us at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience,” said Jodie Filiatreau, Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Artisanal Distiller. “We’re proud to play a role in helping make the Derby season the most exciting time of year for Louisville and for everyone who comes here to celebrate from across the Commonwealth.” 

The Bourbon is matured in Heaven Hill’s rickhouses under the careful supervision of Master Distiller Conor O’ Driscoll, who monitors 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.

“Our partnership with Evan Williams pairs two of Kentucky’s favorite things – the Derby Festival celebration and bourbon,” said Matt Gibson, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “We know this special edition bottle will be popular with pin collectors and Festival Fans alike.”

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 March 16 – May 5.

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.

ABOUT THE 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.

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Media Contact:

Kaitlynn West
Heaven Hill Distillery
(502) 413-0230
[email protected]