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Maker’s Mark Bourbon Keeneland Bottle to Benefit LexArts Public Art Project

Maker's Mark Bourbon Keeneland commemorative bottles will be available at stores throughout Kentucky Friday, celebrating opening day of the Keeneland Spring Meet. Fewer than 10,000 of the limited-edition bottles of bourbon will be available and are expected to sell out in one day.

Through a strategic partnership with LexArts, greater Lexington's premier cultural development, advocacy and fundraising organization, the proceeds from this year's commemorative bottle release will benefit the creation of a permanent public art legacy project. Miniature bronze horses will be creatively placed through downtown Lexington to create an interactive tour that heralds past and present stories of Kentucky culture.

For the third year, the commemorative bottles will showcase three distinct label designs featuring the work of artists Sandra Oppegard, Andre Pater and Tyler Robertson. The label art depicts winning jockeys from the 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships held at Keeneland. Each label is signed by the artist who created the design, plus Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin and Eighth Generation Whisky Maker & Maker's Mark® Managing Director Rob Samuels. The labels will also be signed by one of three winning jockeys from the Breeders' Cup World Championships: Flavien Prat (Classic), Tyler Gaffalione (Juvenile Fillies and Turf Sprint) and Hall of Famer John Velazquez (Distaff).

“Keeneland is proud to team up with Maker's Mark and LexArts on this unique initiative to celebrate public art and Central Kentucky's signature horse industry,” said Arvin. “We all share a mission to enhance life in the local community, and supporting the arts is fundamental toward that goal.”

Maker's Mark and Keeneland have collaborated on a commemorative bottle release for 26 years, raising millions of dollars for a variety of worthy causes throughout Central Kentucky.

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Isaac Murphy Bottles Of Maker’s Mark Will Benefit Memorial Honoring Black Jockeys

Hall of Fame jockey Isaac Burns Murphy accomplished a level of success in the late 1800s that, by many measures, has never been equaled. So, it is only fitting that an effort to celebrate his remarkable legacy is, itself, also unique.

This year, the annual release of a commemorative Maker's Mark® Bourbon bottle in partnership with Keeneland will, for the first time, be three distinct bottles, each with its own label featuring the work of artists Sandra Oppegard, Andre Pater, or Tyler Robertson. The labels depict the pageantry, beauty, and power of Thoroughbred racing, a sport on which Isaac Murphy certainly left an indelible mark.

Murphy is the only jockey to have won the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and Clark Handicap in the same year (1884). He won the Derby three times and was in the first group of jockeys inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. He was originally buried in the African Cemetery #2 in Lexington but was later moved to the Kentucky Horse Park where he now lies near the legendary Thoroughbred, Man o' War.

Proceeds from the bottle sales will go to LexArts, greater Lexington's premier cultural development, advocacy, and fundraising organization, to support its initiatives at the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden in Lexington. The Art Garden is the first park in the U.S. to honor African American jockeys, who were the earliest Black professional athletes. Funds from the 2021 bottle series will provide the remaining funding required to realize a permanent art installation by Lexington folk artist LaVon Van Williams, Jr. as well as future programming within the park with an emphasis on the arts.

The bottles are all pre-signed by the artist who created each label along with Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin, Maker's Mark Managing Director Rob Samuels, and one of three active Hall of Fame jockeys who have won the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland multiple times: Javier Castellano, Edgar Prado, and John Velazquez.

The three bottles will go on sale Friday, April 2. This begins a three-year series benefiting LexArts initiatives, with the same three artists creating new labels each year for the commemorative release.

“To have the immeasurable support of these two iconic brands, Keeneland and Maker's Mark, is meaningful in so many ways for LexArts and our entire arts community,” said Ame Sweetall, LexArts President and CEO. “The support of the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden this partnership will allow will further engage and enrich the East End community and build upon the early work of those who made the art garden a reality more than ten years ago.”

Maker's Mark and Keeneland have been collaborating on a commemorative bottle release every year since 1997, raising millions of dollars for a variety of worthy causes throughout Central Kentucky.

“Keeneland has long championed the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden and its celebration of the significant contributions African Americans have made to racing,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “It is especially gratifying to know that our longstanding collaboration with Maker's Mark will benefit LexArts and ensure this important aspect of history will be preserved for our community and future generations.”

“I'm impressed by LexArts' work to enrich the greater Lexington area through their various initiatives,” said Maker's Mark Managing Director Rob Samuels. “This particular project to enhance the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden is an important and worthy cause, and I'm proud our long partnership with Keeneland is allowing us to support it in such a meaningful way.”

Keeneland, Maker's Mark and LexArts invite the community to bring to life the stories of Isaac Murphy and the many African American horsemen who shaped the future of Central Kentucky's equine industry. To make a financial contribution to the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden, visit https://bgcf.givingfuel.com/immag.

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Breeders’ Cup Commemorative Maker’s Mark Bottle Will Benefit PDJF

With the Nov. 6-7 return of the Breeders' Cup World Championships to Keeneland Race Course, a unique commemorative item available to race fans and bourbon lovers alike will also be a great way to benefit a worthy cause. Maker's Mark®, the official bourbon of the Breeders' Cup, has partnered with Keeneland for the second time in 2020 to create a uniquely designed, limited-edition bottle with proceeds supporting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.

This distinctive collectible is a stunning all-white Maker's Mark bottle featuring the Breeders' Cup 2020 logo, a green wax Keeneland medallion, and a green and gold Keeneland strip stamp over purple wax sealing the bottle in the bourbon's trademark style.

The bottles will go on sale in limited quantities at select local retailers around Kentucky on Friday, October 30.

“On behalf of the men and women that the PDJF serves, we are grateful for the support of Keeneland and Maker's Mark for making the PDJF the charity beneficiary of the sales of these bottles commemorating the Breeders' Cup World Championships,” said PDJF President Nancy LaSala.

“Keeneland served the very first cases of Maker's Mark ever sold,” said Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and Managing Director of Maker's Mark, whose grandparents founded the brand. “With that in mind, we wanted to commemorate the return of the Breeders' Cup to Keeneland and felt that supporting the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund was the perfect way to celebrate our long partnership.”

Maker's Mark and Keeneland released a different commemorative bottle earlier this summer before Keeneland's Summer Meet in July, which featured the running of the Maker's Mark Mile, a Grade 1 turf race. That bottle sold out quickly with those proceeds also benefiting PDJF.

“This gorgeous Maker's Mark bottle is a wonderful way for our fans to celebrate the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland and to benefit the important work of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund,” said Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason. “We especially thank our partner, Maker's Mark, for their decades-long support of Keeneland and Thoroughbred racing.”

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Keeneland, Maker’s Mark Team Up To Support Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund

Keeneland and Maker's Mark® have a rich history of working hand-in-hand to benefit the community and the horse industry. This year is no exception as the two iconic Kentucky brands today announced the 2020 Maker's Mark® commemorative bottle, with all proceeds to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), an independent charitable organization that provides financial assistance to jockeys who have sustained debilitating on-track injuries.

Each Maker's Mark bottle has been signed in advance by the five leading active stakes-winning riders at Keeneland – Julien Leparoux, Robby Albarado, John Velazquez, Javier Castellano and Mike Smith – in addition to Maker's Mark Managing Director Rob Samuels and Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason.

The bottle's design features black wax on the top and neck, a green wax Keeneland seal on the front and a gold label featuring an illustration of a jockey in white and red silks aboard a Thoroughbred racehorse. The illustration is the work of Louisville artist Jeaneen Barnhart, renowned for a large portfolio of equine art that includes several posters for the Kentucky Derby Festival which she designed with her twin sister, Doreen.

Certain to become a collector's item, the bottle goes on sale July 3 in limited quantities around Kentucky.

“Jockeys are truly some of the best athletes in the world and put their lives on the line every time they mount a horse,” says PDJF President Nancy LaSala. “Because of this, we're so thrilled that two of Kentucky's great institutions – Keeneland and Maker's Mark – have come together in such a creative way to help disabled jockeys who can ride no more.”

“I've been involved with several Keeneland and Maker's Mark bottles that raise funds for worthy causes,” says Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. “But this one really is where my heart is. Autographing a bottle is such a simple thing to do, and it's great knowing that I'm playing a small role in helping other riders whose careers were cut short.”

“The people in the horse industry of Central Kentucky have played a big role in the history of Maker's Mark,” says Rob Samuels, who is an eighth-generation whisky maker. “When my grandfather started Maker's back in the 1950s, the horsemen supported him and helped spread the word that his bourbon was worth sharing. So, we're honored to share something back in a meaningful way.”

Keeneland and Maker's Mark formed a partnership in 1997 to create commemorative bottles each year for charitable organizations. Proceeds from the sales of previous commemorative bottles have raised millions to benefit everything from academic tutoring for student athletes to arts programs across the state to nonprofit organizations in the Thoroughbred industry.

“We are always gratified by the enthusiastic public response to the Maker's Mark commemorative bottle, and we are so pleased sales this year will benefit the critical work of the PDJF,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “We thank our longstanding partner, Maker's Mark, and Julien, Robby, John, Javier and Mike for their strong support.”

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