Maker’s Mark ’46’!? Yes. The New ’46’.

About ten thousand years ago, Bill Samuel Jr.’s mother made some bread, this bread turned into the recipe for the mash, which then became the beer which then went into the still which finally resulted in the Maker’s Mark whisky that we know today.  Since then, Maker’s swore to never make another bourbon since they got the first one so perfect…

Well…that’s the legend…

Bill's Back Yard

Late last summer, a few of us were invited by the nice Maker’s Mark folks  to come out to Kentucky and see Maker’s from the mash to the bottling, from the basement to the attic and the distillation to the wax…  And, on this beautiful late-summer afternoon as we were sitting in Bill Samuel Jr.’s back yard sipping his bourbon and partaking in the Samuel’s family genuine Southern hospitality, Bill told us a tale…one of many…about how they would NEVER make another Maker’s because Maker’s; after all, as Bill says…Maker’s is perfect…

Imagine my surprise as Cody the Maker’s Mark Wonder Rep tells me that there’s a new Maker’s Mark coming out soon…  Wait…  What happened to ‘perfection’?  Well, it appears that perfection can in fact be improved upon…

Maker's Mark '46'

We all like Maker’s.  It’s a sweet, balanced, quality sipping whisky.  Not too hot, just the right amount of heat.  In most bars, Maker’s is pretty much the high-end bourbon.  Most bars won’t have a Pappy…perish the thought that they ever have heard of Blanton’s or Willett.  Parker’s?  Forgetaboutit.  So, for most of America, Maker’s is bourbon.

This new Maker’s though…?  This is a whole new Maker’s, born Riply-like out of  regular ol’ Red Wax Maker’s Mark, which is at 90proof – that’s 45% alcohol, the rest being good ol’ Kentucky water, distilling effluent and oak impression.  Running straight from the still, the white dog goes into the barrel at 115proof and is around 125proof when it’s at it’s full age, which is between a minimum of 5, to ~7 years and bottled from nine barrel batches.  So, that means that Bill Samuel’s and his head distiller Kevin D. Smith taste all the barrels and when they are just right, nine barrels are take for the slaughter…taken out of their safe resting place in the rickhouse, dumped, married together, filtered and watered down, packaged and taken to it’s new house – yours.

Maker's Mark Black

And, except for a brief experiment with Maker’s Mark Black, which was a black labeled and black waxed, 95proof bottling long since extinct for the most part.  Additionally, of course there was the odd Maker’s Mark Mint Julip, green waxed release – there has not been any other Maker’s whisky put in a bottle and sold to the masses for thirty-odd years as far as I know.

Now…there is – named Maker’s Mark ’46’.

’46’?  Why is it called ’46’?

There’s another difference besides the higher proof – and this difference is why this new Maker’s is called ’46’, because ’46’ is a descriptor of this new Maker’s other differentiating factor: French Oak staves, No. 46 French Oak, to be exact.  What happens is that the whisky is taken out of the barrel, and one-inch charred staves are loosely attached to the inside of the barrel, at which time the whisky is put back in for an additional five to eleven weeks.

The result?  Well, I’ll tell ya’, it’s delicious.  It’s a 94 proof, stave-aged Maker’s Mark – with a body matured like Sophia Loren in her late-30’s, a lasting flavor, still full of the expected sweetness typical of Maker’s Mark, but with a surprising weighted lingering oak finish which I have to say – is very satisfying.

Maker’s ’46’ is meant to be mixed – this may be the new Manhattan Cocktail standard for many bars, and as the cocktail craze that you and I are already living starts to affect the fly-overs, this new whisky is perfectly positioned to take over an industry.  Maker’s already has the name, and now ’46’ has a new whole road ahead of it.  And, you know…I believe that it’ll be a good trip.