Virginia ABC to hold Secretariat bourbon lottery

Bourbon fans should gallop to enter the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority’s online lottery later this month for 187 autographed bottles of Secretariat Reserve Straight Bourbon, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the thoroughbred’s 1973 Triple Crown sweep.

The bourbon comes from Charlottesville-based Ragged Branch Distillery and includes grain grown at Meadow Event Park in Caroline County, where the ninth Triple Crown winner was born in 1970 and raised. The 750-milliliter bottles are priced at $99.99 each.

Secretariat still holds the time record for the Triple Crown races (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes). His jockey, Ron Turcotte, has autographed the bottles, which feature original artwork of the racehorse from New York-based artist Eric Helvie.

Secretariat Reserve is distilled from a mix of corn, rye and malted barley. It’s aged for more than five years and bottled-in-bond, meaning it meets stringent regulations, including being bottled at 100 proof and made by one distiller at one distillery during one season.

Online entry forms will be available March 29 through March 31, and Virginia residents ages 21 and up are eligible. Winners will be selected in a random drawing.

More details are available on the Virginia ABC site.

On April 22, Virginia ABC will release unsigned bottles. Each retail location will receive one case (six bottles), and customers will be limited to one bottle each. The Ragged Branch Distillery store in Charlottesville will also have limited quantities.