Eagle Rare Bourbon Announces Top 20 Nominees for the 2014 Rare Life Award; Still Time to Cast a Vote!

FRANKFORT, Ky., Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Eagle Rare Bourbon Whiskey announces the current voting tallies for its 2014 Rare Life Award, an award that recognizes people whose lives embody Eagle Rare's passion for excellence and demonstrate the epitome of courage, leadership, survival, heroism, devotion and character. With only three months remaining in the nomination process, the votes are very close between each of the top 20 vote nominees so far.  The $40,000 award will be donated to the winner's charity early next year.  

As of Oct. 1, the 20 nominees who have received the most votes are, (in alphabetical order):

• Bob Anderson- Decorah, Iowa
• Andrew Christian- Coleville, California
• Al Cecere- Gatlinburg, Tennessee
• Marc Dibernardo- Louisville, Kentucky
• Ryan Eversley- Morrisville, North Carolina
• Howard Garrett- Freeland, Washington
• Marge Gibson- Merrill, Wisconsin
• Angie Goodwin- Beach Grove, Kentucky
• Shawn J Gourley- Evansville, Indiana
• Melissa Jarboe- Chisago, Kansas
• Mac McQuown- Ocala, Florida
• Becky Fox Ortyl- St Louis, Missouri
• Shanda Renee- Paso Robles, California
• Dr. Peter Sharpe- Avalon, California
• Karen Shirk- Xenia, Ohio
• Melissa Smith- Doniphan, Kansas
• Charles J Stecker JR.- East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
• Theresa Strader- Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Annette King Tucker- Claremore, Oklahoma
• Janice Wolf- Midway, Arkansas

Of the 20 top nominees, their stories are varied from topics such as children's rights, military heroes, saving animals, childhood diseases, and service dogs. What all of the stories have in common though, is their ability to tug at one's heartstrings.

Kris Comstock, Eagle Rare Bourbon brand manager said, "We continue to be inspired by the nominees and are honored to help an increasing array of charities across the United States. We're halfway through the voting process and have some great nominations so far.  But there's still time to nominate someone you think leads a Rare Life, or to vote for your favorite nominee at www.eaglerarelife.com."

Since nominations and voting began in May of this year, 120 stories have been submitted through Eagle Rare's website. The Grand Prize award winner will be awarded a $40,000 donation for the charity of their choice. The Grand Prize winner will also receive an awards ceremony in the winner's home town hosted by Eagle Rare Bourbon and the production of a short testimonial video.

In addition to the grand prize, six others will be selected for each key Rare Life characteristic and awarded $4,000 for the charity of their choice. This is the fourth year for the Rare Life campaign, and the 2014 awards will bring total grants to date for charities to $160,000.

Entries are available to view online at the Eagle Rare website. People can continue to vote for these inspiring nominees through January 7, 2014. At the end of the voting, a Grand Prize Winner and six finalists will be selected from 20 nominees receiving the most votes. Those winners will be announced the week of March 3, 2014.

For more information or to submit a nomination, visit www.eaglerarelife.com.

About Eagle Rare Bourbon
Eagle Rare Bourbon Whiskey is part of the award-winning Buffalo Trace Distillery, a family-owned company based in Frankfort, (Franklin County), Kentucky. The Distillery's rich distilling tradition dates back to 1786 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Eagle Rare Bourbon is a 10-year-old single barrel bourbon that has won multiple awards, including five double gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. To learn more about Eagle Rare visit www.eaglerarelife.com.

SOURCE Eagle Rare Bourbon