Maker's Mark bottle to honor Keeneland

Maker's Mark Distillery officials announced Monday that the 2011 Maker's Mark

Mile (G1) commemorative bottle will honor a Kentucky icon -- Keeneland Race

Course in commemoration of its 75th anniversary.

In addition, sales of the specialty bottle -- which goes on sale April 8 --

will benefit a newly named endowment for the arts honoring retiring University

of Kentucky President Lee T. Todd Jr. and his wife, Patsy.

The Lee T. and Patsy Todd, Jr. Development Fund will make it possible for the

UK Symphony Orchestra and students from the UK School of Music to take symphony

music into public schools and communities throughout the state. This year is the

third time that bottle proceeds have helped fund this program.

"Every year, we strive to make this commemorative bottle and its charitable

proceeds about the people and entities that have a positive impact on Kentucky,"

Maker's Mark President and CEO Bill Samuels Jr. said.

"Lee and Patsy Todd, as well as Keeneland, have made significant

contributions to Kentucky and have been such wonderful partners to Maker's Mark

through the years, that it seemed only fitting to honor them in this way."

The design of the 2011 collectable bottle features Keeneland's specially

designed anniversary logo and notes the 15th anniversary of the distillery's

sponsorship of the Maker's Mark Mile. Keeneland Race Course opened on October

15, 1936.

Samuels expects about $200,000 from the sale of more than 18,000 bottles

statewide, creating funding for this unique program in excess of $1.2 million.

"We are so honored that Maker's Mark is paying tribute to our anniversary in

this way," Keeneland President and CEO Nick Nicholson said. "This sponsorship

and all of the money it has raised through the years was the brainchild of Bill

Samuels, and he deserves a tremendous amount of credit for his ability to take a

corporate partnership like ours to new heights. He is an innovator and, himself,

a Kentucky icon."

"Art and music are passions for Patsy and me," Todd said. "We are humbled

that Maker's Mark, Bill Samuels and Keeneland would honor us in this way by

making us part of this special program and by helping take the transformative

power of music to children across our state.

"Our School of Music, and this outreach program, are emblematic of what

becoming a Top 20 public research institution can mean for Kentucky --

conducting research and providing service that changes lives and makes our

Commonwealth a better place to live."

Signing this year's bottle will be Samuels, Todd and Nicholson along with Rob

Samuels, the incoming president of Maker's Mark and Bill Greely, retired

Keeneland president. The signing will take place on April 15 at 6:30 a.m. (EDT)

trackside at Keeneland.