Woodford Reserve Distillery found an innovative way to leverage its sponsorship of the Kentucky Derby through packaging. The uniquely decorated bottles support the distillery’s Woodford Reserve bourbon whiskey as a super-premium brand that, like the beloved annual horse race, stands apart from competitors.
Versailles, KY-based Woodford Reserve Distillery packages its Woodford Reserve bourbon in specially shaped, Kentucky Derbythemed glass bottles with clear labels that bear Derby-centric images created by Cincinnati, OH-based artist Pam Folsom. The painted images capture the excitement of one of the nation’s premier horse races, also known as “the greatest two minutes in sports.”
“We’re proud to have created this special bottle that celebrates everything Derby,” Nick Nelson, Woodford Reserve Brand Manager, says of the commemorative glass bottles, which were trotted out in April just ahead of
the 2007 Kentucky Derby. “Woodford
Reserve’s premium bourbon shares a long-standing history with horse racing and, of course, the Kentucky Derby. What better way to partner the tradition of fine Kentucky bourbon with the tradition of the Kentucky Derby and everything that it encompasses.”
Folsom’s eye-catching images capture the pageantry of the Derby. The label’s centerpiece image features two chestnut Thoroughbred horses, jockeys mounted, ready for the big race. Meanwhile, a couple, outfitted in Derby hats and festive attire, look on.
Elsewhere on the label, a silhouette of Churchill Downs’ historic Twin Spires and Grandstand at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, reflects through the glass to provide the finishing touch for a race-day background.
The pressure-sensitive label, from Chattanooga Labeling Systems, is decorated using silk-screen printing.
The glass bottle, from O-I, completes the limited-edition package’s appeal. It is shaped like a flask, with curved shoulders, square sides, and a broad, flat face. The generous surface and wraparound label provide ample room for the jockeys to “race” around the bottle. The bottle decoration includes a brown, textured-looking neckband and attached tag bearing information about the product and artist.
The bottle’s proprietary shape and graphic appeal signal the craftsmanship of the product, says David Scheurich, the distillery’s Plant Manager. Bourbon production at Woodford Reserve Distillery uses spring water, small cypress fermentation vats, and copper pot stills—the traditional means of producing small-batch bourbon. Woodford Reserve bourbon is matured more than six years, unlike other bourbon brands, which are aged about two years.
Woodford Reserve has been the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby since 1996, and the brand is available in
32 countries.
The commemorative 750-mL Kentucky Derby-themed bottles carry a suggested retail price of $42 to $45.
