What is Bourbon?
It must be made in the United States.
It must be made with a minimum of 51% corn in the mashbill.
It must be aged in new charred oak barrels. (Hint: this is why so many other spirits are aged in bourbon barrels!)
Straight Bourbon must be aged for a minimum of two years.
It is bottled between 80 and 160 proof. (That’s 40-80% ABV.)
What about Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky?
Made in Loretto, Kentucky.
Maker’s Mark has a mashbill of 70% corn, 14% malted barley and 16% red winter wheat, for the soft and sweet palette notes. The mashbill for different expressions doesn’t change.
Maker’s Mark still hand rotates all their barrels in the barrelhouse.
They season the wood for their barrels for a minimum of 9 months and 1 Kentucky summer.
All of Maker’s Mark barrels come from Independent Stave Company, which has been around for more than 100 years making whiskey and wine barrels.
Their bourbon is between 5-7 years old, they age to taste not to time.
Maker’s enters the barrels at 110 proof. They go low and slow with proof and time.
They are the only distillery recognized as a historical landmark in the USA.
All the branding, logo, hand dipped bottle idea, bottle design and labels were created by Margie Samuels, Bill Samuels wife. She is recognized as one of the female pioneers leading bourbon history.
Seen here is Maker’s Mark 101 which is named after the proof and is the cask strength Makers brought down to proof. It was created by Bill Samuels to enjoy and share with his whisky legend pals including the Beams and the Russels. It is still intended today to be a whisky enjoyed amongst friends.