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.

Bourbon Trail - Jim Beam

Since we were so close to Kentucky, we decided to take a few days and explore the Bourbon Trail.  First stop was Jim Beam.

We went inside the Visitor Center

James B. Beam

We saw on their website that they gave tours but since we weren't 100% sure what day we'd be there, we didn't make an advance reservation.  So we went inside to check things out.

The first tour available was about an hour after we'd arrived to so we decided to book a tour for later in the afternoon and go to explore a few other distilleries.  

This was a beautiful spot.

And we'd had a recommendation from our dear friend, Patryce, to try Elijah Craig so, of course, we had to buy a bottle or two.

My grandmother's maiden name was Fitzgerald so this piqued my interest.

One thing we learned is that unlike wineries, distilleries aren't typically "close" together so we couldn't stay too long.  

We'd asked the people at Jim Beam where Jim B. was buried and since it was right on our way, we decided to make a stop at the cemetery to pay our respects.  I was pretty proud of myself for finding the grave site all on my own while Ron was talking to a few groundskeepers.

We moved on to Maker's Mark which was at least a half hour away and now we were really pushed for time.  So we went into the gift shop which was a LONG walk - beautiful, but long.

Hahahahaha!

Okay, quick - back in the truck and get back to Jim Beam for our tour.  Luckily, we made it with about 10 minutes to spare and were able to meet our guide, Rocky.

He gave a great tour and we learned a lot about the process of making bourbon.  Jim Beam is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world.  Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in production for the company.  The brand became "Jim Beam" in 1943 in honor of James B. Beam, who rebuilt the business after Prohibition ended.  Previously produced by the Beam family and later owned by the Fortune Brands holding company, the brand was purchased by Suntory Holdings in 2014.

This is an example of a car that was used to distributed the bourbon.

What differentiates bourbon from whiskey?

• Made in the USA
• Aged in charred new oak barrels
• At least 51% corn
• No additives
• Bottled at no more than 80% alcohol by volume

The still is hard working - in fact, the hardest working still in America.  

They keep count of all the barrels they've produced since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.

That's a lot of barrels!

Next stop on the tour was the bottling area where we could pick our bottle, watch it going down the line, and then personalizing it with a fingerprint.

Ron took the first step by picking out a bottle, labeling it, and washing the bottle before filling.  Washing it with bourbon, of course.

And then we followed our bottle as it was filled and moved down the line.

Ours is the second from the left.

And then the grand finale - time to dip the top in wax.

This time it was my turn to personalize the bottle - my thumbprint in the hot wax.

Back on the bus so we could visit the Rickhouse.  Rickhouses are primarily made of wood, brick, stone or metal and constructed to be about seven stories high.  The overall size (height and depth) and construction materials significantly impact the temperature consistency inside the rickhouse is what gives the spirit its color, flavor, and aroma.

We spent a good deal of time inside checking things out.

We asked Rocky about how much weight each Rickhouse could hold.  We were in a smaller house which holds about 20,000 barrels.  At about 550 pounds per barrel, that's about 11 million pounds!

This is a special rack of barrels.  You can see on the right the 16 Millionth barrel which was filled in February, 2020.  

On the middle left is another special barrel.  Can't guess?

It's hard to read but in the middle on the left is the word Mila.  That's a 10 year old barrel belonging to Mila Kunis who was a spokesperson for Jim Beam.

And the most recent "millionth" barrel - 18 - which was just put in the barrel earlier this year.  I think it's fun that everyone signed the barrel.

And then it was time for the "big" event - the tasting.

I'm surprised that I'm actually enjoying bourbon.  In fact, I'm drinking one as I prepare this post.

We stopped in the gift shop to purchase our personalized bottle and learned that - oops - the picture of the grave stone that I took is the wrong Jim Beam!  So we had to make a quick trip back to get a photo of the correct one - there are too many Jim Beams in this part of the country.

Whew, what a great day!