of Maker's Mark that "What separates this bourbon from the rest is the softness and smoothness of its rich oak, vanilla and raisiny-like flavours." Food critic Morgan Murphy said "Dark as its red wax seal, this beautiful whiskey packs apple spice, vanilla, and a front-of-the-mouth crispness that is admired the world over." Limited edition collector's sets Keeneland Maker's Mark began special edition bottles featuring Keeneland bottles for horses in 1997. The label was white with a dark green horse and green wax. Other Keeneland bottles include famous Derby winners such as Secretariat (2003), Seattle Slew (2004), Affirmed (2005), American Pharoah (2016), and Justify (2018). University of Louisville On July 20, 2012, Maker's Mark started selling a limited edition bottle featuring University of Louisville's head football coach Charlie Strong. The bottles were created to raise money for a new Academic Center of Excellence on UofL's campus. Maker's Mark also has marketed special label bottles with the images of Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich for the same purpose. University of Kentucky Maker's Mark has featured several University of Kentucky sports personalities on its University of Kentucky (UK) line of limited release bottles. A limited quantity of bottles can be signed for free by the personality that was selected for the bottle and by a member of the Samuels family. The signing party is held at Keeneland horse track in the university's home city of Lexington. The first UK special edition bottle was produced in 1993. In celebration of the 1996 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions, Maker's Mark printed a bottle that had a denim background with white type. The team's coach at the time, Rick Pitino, signed the bottle. Other bottles include: Wildcat Bottle (2001), Bill Keightley (2002), Rupp's Runts (2006), The Unforgettables (2007), Joe B. Hall (first in 2008 and again in 2016), Rich Brooks (2009), John Calipari (2010), Tim Couch (2012), Dan Issel (2013), Mark Stoops (2014), and Adolph Rupp (2015). The 2015 bottle was the first in a series honoring the five basketball coaches who won NCAA titles at UK; Pitino was honored in 2017 and Tubby Smith in 2018, with Calipari to be honored for a second time in 2019. See also List of historic whisky distilleries List of National Historic Landmarks in Kentucky References Bibliography External links Historic American Engineering Record documentation: 1958 establishments in Kentucky Bourbon whiskey Beam Suntory Distilleries