Two exclusive auction packages guaranteed to appeal to the connoisseur of fine spirits will be offered this year at The Julep Ball, set for Derby Eve, May 3, at the KFC Yum! Center.

Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select bourbon and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey are each providing a barrel of their product in personalized, individually labeled bottles bearing the winning bidder's name. The winning bidder also receives a personalized barrel head, distillery tour and other exclusive benefits.

"We are excited to offer these two auction packages exclusively to our guests as part of the full evening of entertainment at The Julep Ball. Both are designed for the person who understands and appreciates the nuances of small-batch distilling and wants a unique experience," said Michael Neumann, director of The Julep Ball and major gifts officer at the University of Louisville. The Julep Ball supports the James Graham Brown Cancer Center at UofL.

Woodford Reserve, billed as the Official Bourbon of the Kentucky Derby(R), is offering the "Personal Selection Experience." The package provides 180 one-liter bottles of Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select bourbon in bottles labeled with the winning bidder's name. The winning bidder will consult with Woodford Reserve craftsmen to select his or her own barrels. Also included are a personalized barrel head; one used Woodford Reserve barrel; a private tour of the Woodford Reserve distillery in Versailles, Ky.; lunch for up to six people in the tasting group; and the winning bidder's name engraved on a permanent plaque at the distillery.

Jack Daniel's wants bidders to know, "Your barrel is waiting." This package offers 42 cases or 252 bottles of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel whiskey and personalized medallions, barrel head, nameplate and brick with the winning bidder's name on display in the Single Barrel Society Room at the Jack Daniel's Distillery. The package includes whiskey selection at the distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn., two coach air tickets and two nights' hotel accommodation in Nashville, transportation to and from the distillery and lunch for two at Miss Mary Bobo's in Lynchburg.

Three-quarters of the available tickets for the full evening's entertainment, which includes the opportunity to bid on these exclusive auction packages, are now sold out, but plenty of dance-only tickets are still available. The full evening's entertainment is $500 per person while dance-only tickets are $150 per person. For further information and to buy tickets, go to The Julep Ball website, julepball.org.

At The Julep Ball, party-goers can mingle with local and national business leaders, horse industry professionals and celebrities from sports, music, cinema and television and enjoy entertainment provided by the World's Greatest Party Band, the B-52s. A celebrity emcee for the evening will be CBS Sports Radio broadcaster and former NFL great Tiki Barber. The crowd can watch celebrities make their entrance on the red carpet entrance and dance until the wee hours of Saturday morning following the B-52s concert. Special moments of The Julep Ball again will come when the scientists, physicians and patients at the forefront of cancer treatment and delivery are honored and saluted for their efforts.

The Julep Ball is a 21-and-older event, and the winning bidders and their guests taking part in the small-batch packages' activities must be age 21 or older as well. Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniel's join with The Julep Ball in advocating for responsible drinking.

The Julep Ball is sponsored in part by Brown-Forman, Republic National Distribution Company of Kentucky, Power Creative, Kroger, LG&E, The Event Company, Ingrid Design, Raymond E. and Eleanor H. Loyd, Hilliard Lyons, KentuckyOne Health, Tafel Motors, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Advanced Electrical Systems, Montgomery Chevrolet, AT&T Kentucky, BKD, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Republic Bank, Stites & Harbison, Heuser Clinic and Publishers Printing. Media partners are Louisville Magazine, NFocus, the Voice-Tribune, WHAS11 and 102.3 The Max.