Never Say Die: Unique Kentucky bourbon named for horse that helped launch the Beatles
Lexington developer and horse breeder Patrick Madden teamed with friends in Kentucky and in England to produce a unique bourbon. It’s named for the racehorse Never Say Die, born at the Maddens’ Hamburg Place farm.
According to legend, the foal had a rough birth and to help him revive, a shot of whiskey was poured down his throat. Never Say Die survived and went on to win the 1954 Epsom Derby, the first Kentucky-bred horse to do so, at 33-to-1 odds.
Incidentally, a Liverpool woman named Mona Best famously pawned her jewelry to bet on Never Say Die, then used the winnings to open a music venue with a stage for up-and-coming musicians.
The opening band for her Casbah Coffee Club was The Quarrymen, who hired her son, Pete, as their drummer and renamed themselves The Beatles.
(If this whets your curiosity, the whole fascinating story is laid out in “Never Say Die: A Kentucky Colt, the Epsom Derby, and the Rise of the Modern Thoroughbred Industry,” by James C. Nicholson, published by the University of Kentucky Press in 2013.)
At the 2015 Kentucky Derby, Madden was telling a friend from England about the horse when they came up with the idea to name a bourbon for him. But not just any bourbon.
Distilled in 2017 under contract in Danville by whiskey makers Pat Heist and Shane Baker, founders of Wilderness Trail, Never Say Die Bourbon was aged for five years in Kentucky before being shipped in barrels to England in 2022. After the six-week voyage, the barrels aged another six to 18 months at the White Peak Distillery in Derbyshire, which keeps the barrels to use for its single-malt.
The finished new bourbon was released in 2022 in the United Kingdom, where it won several awards. Now, they’ve brought it home to Kentucky.
“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved, creating a world-class bourbon that is rooted in Kentucky provenance but with an undeniably English character,” Madden said in a statement. “We have been overwhelmed by the positive response from UK whiskey fans. Just like our namesake racehorse, the bourbon has won multiple golds, as well as being named by ‘British Esquire’ as one of the best bourbons of 2023 and the third most innovative spirit launch of 2022 by ‘The Spirits Business.’”
The first 800 cases of Never Say Die Small Batch have arrived in the U.S. and bottles will be available to buy on shelves in mid to late November in Lexington, Louisville and select retailers including Ernie’s Spirits on Harrodsburg Road, according to Brian Luftman, a Lexington entrepreneur who is a partner in the brand. Seelbachs.com also is offering Never Say Die by direct shipping in some states.
Made with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% malted barley, Never Say Die has notes of mellow spice and citrus, as well as vanilla, leather and caramel, according to the tasting notes. It’s 95 proof and has a suggested retail price of $69.95.
