Maker's Mark, with its characteristic dipped red wax seal, was the first small batch bourbon to achieve great success, international fame and truly worldwide distribution. The distillery was the first to become a picturesque tourist attraction with a truly visitor-friendly tour. They were also the first distillery to adopt a diversified product strategy, complete with bourbon coffee, barbecue sauce, chocolates and cigars. In many ways, Maker's is a victim of its own success, as few consider it to even be a premium bourbon label anymore, but the success part is inarguable.
Identification
Bourbon whiskey is categorized through a set of standards that are defined by Federal law. First, the alcohol must be made from a grain mixture that of not less than 51 percent corn. It cannot be distilled to higher than 160 proof (80 percent alcohol), and it must be aged in new charred oak barrels for not less than 2 years. There is no requirement that bourbon whiskey be made in Kentucky, and some labels are made elsewhere (Virginia, Ohio and Missouri, for example). However, Kentucky bourbon is justifiably the most famous. The limestone groundwater of Kentucky lends quality to the taste of Kentucky-made bourbon, and this is not generally found elsewhere, but it is not legally required that bourbon whiskey necessarily come from the Bluegrass State.
Types
Maker's Mark is a small batch craft bourbon, although some consider it to be mass-market. This is because while Maker's Mark is made in a fashion befitting a small batch, it is turned out in a larger quantity than the other small batch labels (in some cases much larger) and enjoys the widest distribution. It should be looked at as an original small batch labels that hit the big time. The standard bottle is 90 proof, and has the famous dipped red wax seal.
History
The T.W. Samuels family was a famous distilling clan, but they decided to get out of the business in the 1950s, selling their distillery and trademarks. Some members wanted to continue in the bourbon business, however, and began looking around for a place to open a small distillery, where they could emphasize quality over quantity. They found their site in Loretto, KY, and went to work.
Master distiller Bill Samuels, Sr. decided to seek out a new recipe that would produce a smoother product, but did not have the time to spend years aging a variety recipe experiments. Instead, he baked up loaves of bread containing the exact proportions of grain he wanted to examine, used the same yeast that would be employed at the distillery, and determined to select the best of the breads. The one he chose had no rye whatsoever, but greater helpings of barley and winter wheat. Samuels abandoned his family's century and a half old bourbon recipe and started distilling according to this new, rye-less one.
Considerations
One interesting aspect of Maker's Mark is that it is not aged for a specific duration. Instead, the bourbon is bottled when the expert tasters decide it is ready for the market. This was once a commonplace practice, but is labor-intensive and has been largely abandoned. However, like all bourbon whiskey, Maker's Mark is aged for at least 2 years. Maker's Mark is also among the handful of distilleries that still rotates barrels around the aging warehouse, to take advantage of the differences in temperature within the building.
Expert Insight
The surge of interest in premium whiskey has brought a wave of small batch bourbons that are all superior to Maker's Mark onto the market, but they are also more expensive and not as widely distributed. This label is still priced below $30 per bottle, making Maker's Mark is a good balance between quality and price. Although in many ways it is no longer quite a small batch, it is the likely the only bourbon deserving that title that you will find in bars around the world, which makes it a god-send for whiskey drinkers in places like Asia or Latin America. Overall Maker's is respectable, but not really top-shelf stuff anymore.
Tags: Maker Mark, small batch, alcohol must, batch labels, dipped seal, less than, many ways
