2003 Maker's Mark Secretariat Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 1Lt Signed

2003 Maker's Mark Keeneland "Secretariat" Triple Crown Commemorative Autographed Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 1Lt is a historic, museum-grade masterpiece of sports and distilling history, engineered to immortalize the greatest thoroughbred athlete to ever step foot on an American racetrack. Released in April 2003 to mark the 30th anniversary of Secretariat's earth-shattering 1973 Triple Crown campaign and celebrate the 7th running of the Maker's Mark Mile stakes race at Keeneland Race Course, this 1-Liter expression stands as the inaugural crown jewel of the distillery's highly coveted Triple Crown collector's trilogy. While standard bottles from this finite bottling run are intensely pursued, this elite autographed variant features the authenticated, trackside hand-signatures of Secretariat's legendary jockey Ron Turcotte, owner Penny Chenery, Maker's Mark President Bill Samuels Jr., and Keeneland President and CEO Nick Nicholson, making it an irreplaceable Holy Grail of pure Americana.

The design architecture of this high-intent collector’s item was meticulously engineered to mirror the exact aesthetic DNA of horse racing excellence. Moving completely away from the brand's classic clear glass presentation, the liquid is fully encased inside a stunning, matte black painted bottle decorated with majestic gold-tone graphics depicting the legendary stallion's unmistakable silhouette. The bottle is crowned with a striking, hand-dipped blue and white checkered wax seal, flawlessly matching the iconic Meadow Stable racing silks worn by Turcotte during Big Red's historic 31-length victory at the Belmont Stakes. Driven by a philosophy of long-term community stewardship, profits generated from the initial 18,000 individually numbered bottles were utilized in close collaboration with the Keeneland Association to build critical civic and racing-heritage charity endowments throughout Kentucky.

Beneath the legendary signatures and commemorative matte black finish rests the timeless, small-batch wheated recipe crafted with unhurried care at the distillery's historic facility in Loretto, Kentucky. Maker's Mark permanently separates itself from the spicy, aggressive sharpness of traditional rye-heavy bourbon mash bills, substituting soft red winter wheat alongside local yellow corn and malted barley to secure an extraordinarily smooth texture. Cooked with iron-free, calcium-rich water sourced directly from the distillery’s limestone-fed spring lakes, the spirit is double-distilled in antique copper stills. The barrels undergo an intensive manual rotation program across multi-story rackhouses, ensuring that natural seasonal microclimates impart a dense, uniform maturity that completely avoids the overly bitter wood notes common to automated industrial mass production.

In the glass, the liquid displays a deep, gleaming amber radiance with a brilliant copper cast and long, slow-clinging oil tears. The bouquet opens with a soft, exceptionally expressive nose, greeting the senses with immediate waves of rich vanilla cream, dark brown sugar, and warm caramel custard, balanced gracefully by underlying hints of sweet corn, fresh orchard fruits, and light toasted oak. On the palate, a smooth, medium-to-full-bodied mouthfeel coats the tongue with decadent layers of caramel cream, vanilla frosting, and sweet maple syrup, before seamlessly yielding to warm cinnamon bark and complex baking spices. The finish is remarkably sustained, clean, and comforting, slowly tapering off with a lingering trail of vanilla bean, light leather, and a sophisticated touch of peppery warmth.

• Size: 1 Litre (1Lt / 1000ml)
• Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
• Age: NAS (Meticulously aged to taste, typically spanning 6 to 7 years)
• Origin: Loretto, Kentucky, United States
• Distillery: Maker's Mark Distillery (Star Hill Farm)
• Style/Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Autographed Collector's Edition)
• Composition: Traditional Wheated Mash Bill (70% Corn, 16% Soft Red Winter Wheat, 14% Malted Barley)
• Cask/Aging: Aged in premium new charred American white oak barrels; fire-charred staves with meticulous manual warehouse rotation
• Series/Edition: Maker's Mark / Keeneland Association Triple Crown Series — 2003 Secretariat Limited Edition (Officially Trackside Autographed by Ron Turcotte, Penny Chenery, Bill Samuels Jr., and Nick Nicholson; Hand-Numbered out of 18,000)
• Tasting Notes: Rich vanilla cream, dark brown sugar, caramel custard, sweet corn, fresh orchard fruit, maple syrup, cinnamon bark, light leather finish