This is the first post in our series Exploring the Historical Present. In these posts I will be sharing some thoughts on present-day spirits that have some sort of historical precedent or lineage. I'll be walking you through the spirit with as much empirical information as possible, and citing information that isn't common knowledge as best I can. This is my attempt to understand if these lasting brands have intrinsic symposiastic or epicurean value, and maybe you have some thoughts on the matter too...
An important caveat: there are many authors who have written glossaries and lexicons of whiskey terminology. I recommend Whisky For Everyone - basics glossary; Undiscovered Scotland; Whisky.com. I will avoid defining industry standard terms, and common nomenclature.
This post will explore the iconic Kentucky straight bourbon Maker's Mark. I encourage you to watch this brief Youtube video of the distillery and process. As for the brand/distillery itself, it certainly has a direct historical connection to 19th-century United States. Maker's has been recognized, and holds the title as "the world's oldest operating bourbon whisky distillery" by Guinness World Records!
To employ the some-what over-used term "iconic," doesn't really do the brand justice. Their bottle is distinct, and instantly recognizable. Their amber/gold color bourbon comes in a unique, handsome, squat and squared glass bottle, hand-dipped in their signature (and trademarked) red wax seal, each bottle sporting unique drips (also known as rivulets, cascades, dribblets, or trickles), and a die-cut label printed on their 1935 Chandler & Price printing press.
Maker's Mark has a curious history, one filled with engaging mythos. Search their website and you'll find a succinct history. The brand and whisky, as we know it today, was created in 1954 by Bill Samuels, Sr., however, the family name is one of the enduring titans of the American Whiskey pantheon. Taylor William (known as T.W.) Samuels started commercial distilling on the family farm in - I believe - Nelson county, around 1844. The family stayed in the bourbon business until the Volstead act/18th amendment of the constitution was ratified in 1919. Legend has it that in 1933, following the ratification of the 21st amendment (repealing prohibition), Leslie Samuels reopened the distillery selling "T. W. Samuels" bourbon. After a brief hiatus between 1943 and 1953 the family bought the old Burks' distillery - established in 1805 - in Loretto, which they renamed Star Hill Farm. The final element of this truncated history lesson is the fantastical story of how T.W. Samuels bourbon evolved into Maker’s Mark bourbon. The story goes that tastes had changed in 170 years since the family started commercial distilling, and the family chose to rebrand. Bill Samuels, Sr. apparently ripped up the family's recipe and in a stroke of genius baked several breads with potential mashbills. The most delicious bread clued his tasting panel to the winning mashbill, which became the standard grain structure of the current brand. It must have been a very long stroke because the genius didn't stop with the new spirit, but included Margie Samuels' two most brilliant marketing tools: The bottle (cube, dipped in wax), and the name. You might ask: what's in a name? Remember, most whisk(e)y brands, until the craft distilling boom in the early 2000's, were named for people (ie. Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam Evan Williams, Old Forester, Old Overholt). Since 1958 Maker's Mark has been one of the United States' most successful whisky brands. It is currently owned by the Beam-Suntory conglomerate.
Maker's Mark
"Kentucky Straight bourbon WHISKY"
Handmade
Distilled, Aged and Bottled by the Maker's Mark Distillery, Inc.
Star Hill Farm, Loretto KY, USA 45% Alc/Vol [90 proof]
Wax sealed screw cap.
No age statement: (their website explains " [it] usually takes six to seven years and is determined by our Master Distiller and expert tasting panel.")
Technical background:
500-pound, 53 gal barrels are hand rotated and stored at various levels of the rickhouse.
Mashbill:
Corn (70%) + Red Winter Wheat (16%) + Malted Barley (14%) {No rye}
Samuel's Family yeast strain (said to be approximately 150 years old)
Open air wooden fermentation vats (aka washbacks)
Short copper column stills, still proof 130 (65% abv)
Barrel Char #3
Barrel entry proof: 110 proof (55% alc/vol)
Observations:
A light amber/golden color; very transparent, and clean looking
Strong legs, quick evaporation
On the nose and palate:
Prominent and well defined esters: fruity sweetness, vanilla, strong alcohol aroma, caramel, citrus, cooked corn
Some prominent phenols/tannins: char, band-aid (medicinal/plastic), toasted/ burned almond
Mouth feel:
High on the palate, back of the tongue, coats the tongue, lots of lipids, gentle
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Dilution:
I followed a very simple proportional dilution pattern. I filled three different glasses with 1 oz (29.6 ml) each of Maker's Mark. I added charcoal/ion-exchange resin-filtered water in graduated degrees of 10%, 20%, and 30% by volume, respectively. Keep in mind that as I add water I am also lowering the proof of the spirit. With each increment I lowered the spirit from 90 proof down to 81.8, 75, and 69. The formula is (volume of spirit)/(total volume with added water)x(proof) or as I like to think of it (V/(W+V)) x P = product proof.
Glass one at 10% dilution (81.8 proof) - strong vanilla, and burned almond on the nose; bitter and burning in the throat; very high and back on the palate.
Glass two at 20% dilution (75 proof) - complete loss of esters and aroma; strong taste of molasses
Glass three at 30% dilution (69 proof) - vanilla, sweet cherry esters, medicinal, almond on the nose; sugar, grass, oak and some burning in the throat.
While any dram of whisky is a drink best served, I would conclude that Maker's is certainly worth its status in the pantheon of American whiskey. And, while there are significant and interesting changes after dilution - 30% brought out a lot of complexity for me, and 20% was shockingly neutralized - it seems best just the way it comes out of the bottle.
In conclusion, it is not one of my favorites, but as one of the most lasting brands since prohibition and with the Samuels family's rich history it certainly deserves a spot on the shelf. The bottle looks so damn great. I wouldn't call it at a bar, and I wouldn't mix with it personally, but I'd gladly sip it with friends around a camp fire or on the fire-escape.
Thanks for checking out the blog!
JojoCocco
For an in depth walk-through of the facility check out Whiskey.com's Distillery Tour Video lead by Benedikt Leuning. Full disclosure: Mr. Leuning's information is valuable but the editing, sound, and script is not very good; it isn't an easy viewing, but it is informative.
One additional sources for Maker's Mark information Whisky Buzz, and a final recommendation for whiskey history, dates, and info is www.pre-pro.com
Additional sources:
[http://bourbonr.com/blog/makers-mark-mash-bill-breakdown/]
[http://drinkwire.liquor.com/post/mash-bills#gs.sC_8cJ8]
[https://modernthirst.com/home/bourbon-whiskey-mash-bills/]
Disclaimer: All opinions and reviews are my own, unless otherwise cited.
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