Maker's Mark

Back to the Bourbon Trail where our first stop was Maker's Mark.  

Maker's Mark's origin began when T. William "Bill" Samuels Sr., purchased the "Burks Distillery" in 1953 for $35,000.  Production began in 1954 and the first run was bottled in 1958 under the brand's dipped red wax seal.  In the 1960s and 1970s, Maker's Mark was widely marketing with the tag line "It tastes expensive...and is."  Maker's Mark is unusual in that no rye is used as part of the mash.  Instead of rye, Maker's Mark uses red winter wheat, along with corn and malted barley.

Maker's Mark is sold in squarish bottles that are sealed with red wax.  Bill's wife, Margie, gave the whiskey it's name, drew the label, and thought up the wax dipping that gives the bottle its distinctive look.

Margie Samuels

Margie's love of pewter inspired the name because pewter whitesmiths put "maker's marks" on their best work.  Her mark features a star for Star Hill Farm, the Bardstown farm where the family resided.

Part of Margie's pewter collection

Also seen around Maker's Mark is "SIV".

The "S" is for Samuels, and the Roman numeral IV symbolizes her husband's status as a fourth-generation distiller.  However, their son Bill, Jr. later discovered that his father was actually a sixth-generation distiller, although the earlier distillers produced bourbon as a hobby only and to share with friends.  But, the SIV stuck and stays to this day.

Fortunately, a few days before we planned to visit we made a reservation for a tour - good thing we did because we got the last two tickets for the day.  We checked in and were told that due to the thunder storm that morning (it was CRAZY while we were driving), the tours were all delayed so they suggested we take a seat in the bar while we waited.  (Why do I feel like it was a convenient way to get us into the bar?)

Of course, we had to try a cocktail - they even put it in a "walking" cup.

Burgoon Cup

Maker's 46, Ginger, 'Summer Fruit Cup', Sparkling Lemonade

Time to start the tour!

Our guide, Chet, was fantastic and knew so much about the distillery and it's history.

We went inside and learned about the distilling process.  I won't bore you with the details (I don't remember the specifics anyway) but he took us through step by step.

It was interesting to see the different stages of mash.

Day 1

Day 3

Ron was particularly interested in the wood staves in the barrels.  He asked about the new staves and Chet explained that as the original staves deteriorate, they replace them with new cypress boards.  He also explained that some of the older staves are well over 100 years old.

Maker's Mark 46 is one of the new bourbons on the market, only appearing on shelves in 2010.  This is the first new bourbon released by the distillery since the original bourbon in 1953.  The difference in this evolution is that Maker's Mark introduces a number of different wood type staves in the barrel to complement the original Maker's Mark with new flavors.  The type and number of wood staves depends on the individual flavor the distiller is trying to accomplish.  Chet told us there are thousands of combinations available to anyone who wants to personalize their barrel.  The company that supplies the staves to Maker's Mark has inventoried their product as number 46 in their catalog, hence the name of this particular bourbon.  Simple as that.

The grounds are beautiful!

The grass is greener

Only water from the private water supply is used

Uh-oh

We went through a barrel room.

And saw a beautiful Dale Chihuly sculpture above our heads.  

And now it was time for our tasting.

No, the glass on the right isn't a new bourbon - just a glass of water to cleanse our palates.

Each bottle of Maker's Mark is hand-dipped into the red wax so that each bottle is unique.

Of course we had to buy a few bottles to take home and were pleasantly surprised to know that we could buy an "undipped bottle" and dip it ourselves.

We donned our protective gear (gloves, sleeve protectors, and aprons) and set out to the line.  First up, Ron.

I had the advantage of going second and the Wax Master gave me a few pointers.

The beauty is that there is no right or wrong way and each bottle has it's own character.  We were both proud of the finished products.

#justdipped

What a fun stop - more to come from the other distilleries we visited.