Louisville, Kentucky's Woodford Reserve has struck off in a new, and yet old direction with the third whiskey in their Master's Collection series. The 1838 Sweet Mash revives a historic technique using fresh grains yeast and water, the sweet mash, instead of a sour mash process in which ingredients from a prior distillation are introduced into a new mash mixture. The sweet mash is fermented for several days and then distilled resulting in a higher pH level and a milder, and as the name might reveal, sweeter flavor with notes of fruit and maple syrup. The 1838 Sweet Mash is believed to be the first sweet mash bourbon to be made since Prohibition. It will be sold in 25 U.S. markets and in Canada and each bottle is numbered (1.045 cases available). It sells for $90 a bottle.

[via Kentucky.com]

In celebration of Big Brown's seemingly inevitable Triple Crown victory at tomorrow's Belmont Stakes, our favorite small batch bourbon Woodford Reserve has created a special cocktail. The "Big Brown Triple Crown" recipe is as follows:

1 1/2 ounces Woodford Reserve
3 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix
3 dashes Chambord (1/4 ounce)

Shake vigorously and strain into a tall glass with ice. Garnish with 3 blackberries (one for each crown, natch).

The Woodford Reserve Distillery in Versailles, Kentucky, founded in 1812, is a National Historic Landmark with strong ties to horseracing. It was selected as the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, and as we can personally attest, it also makes a mean mint julep. Check out the BBTC cocktail and more in the gallery.

One of the ways some bourbon makers are attracting new drinkers is by tapping into the booming wine market. Brown-Forman Corp. has released a new limited edition of Woodford Reserve bourbon that spends a few months aging in Sonoma-Cutrer wine barrels. The Sonoma-Cutrer Finish whiskey will be available in stores this summer for $89.99 per bottle, compared to about $30 for the regular Woodford Reserve. There will be 900 cases will be available.

Last year Woodford Reserve gave 50 traditional mint juleps a $1000 upgrade at the Kentucky Derby by using exotic ingredients and serving them in gold cups with silver straws. With the drinks providing such a unique keepsake and proceeds benefiting retired horses and jockeys through Thoroughbred Charities of America, the $1000 juleps were huge a success. So this year they'll be coming around again -- only with even more flair than before.

This year there will be a julep cup representing each of the Derby winners all the way from the first, Aristides, to the most recent, Barbaro. Those two, plus the 11 triple crown winners in between, will be auctioned off online between April 17th and May 1st -- and of course somewhat of a bidding war is expected over Barbaro's cup (it will be interesting to see who wins out on that one). Altogether this year there will be a grand total of 133 special edition mint juleps made, with only 10 being held back for sale at the actual race. In addition to those 10, and the 13 up for online auction, 109 are available to purchase online for $1000 each (first come first buy), and one will be reserved and sent to this year's Derby winner, free of charge.

As before, the juleps will leave nothing wanting in the way of exotic ingredients from around the world, featuring mint from Ireland, organic sugar from Australia, ice from the Bavarian Alps, and of course bourbon from Woodford Reserve.

The Kentucky Derby just got a bit fancier. A $1,000 mint julep will be offered at this year's race at Churchill Downs on May 6. The $1,000 cocktail will be made of Woodford Reserve bourbon, mint from Morroco, ice from the Arctic Circle and sugar from the South Pacific and will be served in a gold-plated cup with a silver straw. The drink will go to the first  50 people willing to pay and the proceeds will raise money for Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation which provides homes for former race horses. If there was ever a place to sell such a drink, this would be it. The company usually sells about 90,000 mint juleps during the event.