Meet Caroline Madden

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caroline Madden and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caroline, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The incredible story behind the business, called Never Say Die, came out in 2013. To summarize, Never Say Die was the first American-bred horse to win the Epsom Derby in England. The horse got the name because when he was born, he couldn’t breathe. The vet tried everything to save him, but nothing worked. Finally, Robert Sterling Clark, the horse’s owner, gets home late from a party, grabs a bottle of bourbon from the tack room, and shoves some bourbon down the colt’s throat. The horse immediately jumps up, breathing perfectly fine. Therefore, they fittingly named the horse Never Say Die. Three years later, the horse makes the trip across the pond to run in the Epsom Derby. It was 1954, and a lady in Liverpool, England, named Mona Best, fell in love with the horse’s name. She decided to pawn all her jewelry to bet everything she had on this one horse. Winning at 33-1, Mona Best received a fruitful payday. She finally had the money for her son, Pete Best, to start his band. That money was used to start the Cabash Coffee Club, and was the same coffee club that the Beatles got their start in. Pete Best was the drummer for The Beatles before Ringo Star replaced him. Had it never been for Never Say Die, The Beatles would have never been. It just so happens that Never Say Die was born on my family farm in Lexington, KY! At the 2015 Kentucky Derby, my father told this story to his college, David Wilde, who lives in England. David fell in love with the story and suggested we make a bourbon and call it Never Say Die. We did just that, and the bourbon makes the same journey as the horse! We age it in Kentucky, then send the barrels across the Atlantic to finish aging and be bottled up in England.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Overcoming challenges first began with my great-great-grandfather, John E Madden. He first started making money in boxing matches at county fairs. He then used that money to start buying and training horses. John ended up training a horse named Hamburg that he sold for a small fortune, which he used to buy Hamburg farm. He bred five Kentucky Derby and Belmont stakes winners. That farm has been in my family ever since. Eventually, the government utilized our land via eminent domain to build interstate I-75 through the farm. Due to the never-ending challenges of having a horse farm with a thriving interstate through the middle, my father got the better of the situation by developing the land for public use. This led to the development of Hamburg Farm and, eventually, Hamburg Place. Today, our focus is more geared towards real estate; however, we are still tremendously involved in the thoroughbred breeding industry. My family has always had strong ties to the horse racing world, and that is why we believe the personal connection would be perfect for starting a bourbon with this backstory.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Probably start the day out somewhere fun for brunch, like Frank & Dinos. After that, I would say nothing beats a day at the races at Keeneland. Sure, everyone wants to go to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville when people think of Kentucky, but Keeneland is a million times better, in my opinion. It is the best atmosphere to bet on horses, not to mention one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world. Then probably dinner at a place unique to Lexington like Malones. Then Sunday you can’t leave Lexington without going on a farm tour to see all the cool farms and stallions! Shaun Washington, who runs Unique Farm Tours, gives the best farm tours and knows everyone who is anyone in the horse business! He also gives bourbon tours of the bourbon trail if that is more your speed.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to shout out to one of our business partners, Brian Luftman. My father and David dreamt the idea, but Brian brought it to life. He is the one who got Never Say Die off its feet and made the dream a reality! Never in a million years did I imagine going to Lexington establishments and seeing Never Say Die on the shelves. It is truly surreal.

Website: https://neversaydiebourbon.com

Instagram: @neversaydiebourbon

Twitter: @NSDBourbon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neversaydiebourbon