Why Are Bourbon & Horseracing So Identified With Kentucky

By Chris Morris • Photos provided by Woodford Reserve 

Now that Kentucky Derby season is upon us, let us take a break from answering technical questions about Bourbon and focus on a question that I am asked quite often. “Why are Bourbon and horseracing so identified with Kentucky?” 

When Woodford Reserve was named the first (and only) Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby in 1999 I was unprepared for some of the questions that this endorsement generated. Questions such as “Why is there an official Bourbon?” among others. To answer questions like this required some research and as I looked through various historical sources the following realization came to light. Once again, the answer proved to be based on time and place. 

As the settlement of Kentucky began in the 1770’s, the early pioneers brought two things with them through the Cumberland Gap, small copper stills and horses. Both were needed to survive on the frontier. Both were symbolic of the culture and ancestry (English, Scotch-Irish, Irish, and Welsh) of the settlers flowing into Kentucky. 

Thoroughbred horses were introduced to North America by British settlers in the late 17th century. Through its settlement Kentucky became a prime location for their breeding and racing. Kentucky’s limestone-rich soil and climate proved ideal for breeding thoroughbreds, providing the nutrients needed to build strong bones and muscles. The limestone water was rich in calcium and other minerals as well as being iron free. Therefore, it was also the perfect water for crafting great Bourbon. 

The early Kentucky settlers often found themselves isolated from their neighbors due to the wide expanse of Kentucky, and the low population density at that time. Therefore, their farms had to be self-sufficient. They not only raised their own food crops but also raised cattle, pigs and of course horses. What most people do not realize is that many of these farms also had a still for making whiskey. So often farmers were both horse breeders and distillers. From the earliest days of Kentucky’s founding Bourbon and thoroughbreds were being developed side by side. 

Occasionally social events were held, and these laid the groundwork for our current county fair tradition. As farm families came to their county seat to get news, trade and barter they also brought their horses to race, and of course, their Bourbon to taste. So, from the very beginning horse racing and Bourbon were linked. The first written account of a mint julep cup being presented as a trophy at a horse race was recorded in 1816. This is proof positive that Bourbon, mint juleps, and horse racing have been connected for over 200 years in Kentucky. Those early races were run point-to-point over open country. They were not conducted on oval racetracks; those would be developed later. In Louisville, where horse racing was becoming a popular pastime, it was a common sight to see horses running down Market Street in a race to the finish. Finally, after angry downtown merchants protested this practice, a track was developed. This was when the ties binding horse racing and Bourbon became even stronger. The course that was established circled the Hope Distillery which was located just west of Louisville. Think of that, a racecourse with a Bourbon distillery in the middle!

By the early 1800s horse racing was well established as THE spectator sport throughout Kentucky. Organized competitive horse racing was relatively young when Woodlawn Racecourse was opened in 1859 on the east side of Louisville. 

After many years of racing at tracks, like the one at Hope Distillery and Woodlawn, the iconic Churchill Downs opened in 1875 and began to host the Kentucky Derby. James E. Pepper, owner of the distillery that today crafts Woodford Reserve, had two horses in a Kentucky Derby, both finished in fifth place. Seventeen years after the opening of Churchill Downs, his horse “Miss Dixie” won the Kentucky Oaks.

Another whiskey distiller, W.E. Applegate, was a principal shareholder in Churchill Downs. His son, H.C., owned a distillery that produced a bourbon named Old Rosebud. Old Rosebud was also the name of his 1914 Kentucky Derby winner.

Other distillers sold brands named “Kentucky Derby,” “Kentucky Oaks,” “Kentucky Sire,” “Kentucky Stallion,” and others that have proudly trumpeted Kentucky Bourbon’s association with horseracing.

Brown-Forman’s W.L. Lyons Brown, Sr., owned a horse named Fathom who competed in the 1970 Derby. Mr. Brown’s jockey was Diane Crump, the first female jockey to compete in the Derby. In the 1980s Brown-Forman began to supply Churchill Downs with a pre-made mint julep. 

Today Brown-Forman’s Derby tradition continues with Woodford Reserve, the “Presenting Sponsor of the Kentucky Derby,” and Old Forester’s Mint Julep, the “Official Mint Julep of the Kentucky Derby.” As crown jewels in Kentucky’s illustrious history, the Kentucky Derby and the beloved Bourbon Whiskey of the Bluegrass continue to mature side-by-side and draw international attention to the Commonwealth on the first Saturday in May.