My Maker's Mark Tour

 

     (Loretto, Kentucky) - So after having a different 'favorite' spirit every couple of years, I finally decied to try Maker's Mark bourbon for the first time somewhere around 2004.  As soon as that sweet taste its known for hit the tip of my tongue, I instantly had a new favorite.  Not long after that first drink in 2004, I joined the Maker's Mark Ambassadors program because... well, because it seemed really cool.  It was!  8 years later, I got to experience just how cool.



Golden Ticket

     
     As part of the Ambassador program, a nameplate with yours and 29 other Ambassadors is placed on a barrel of aging bourbon whisky.  At the end of that aging process, you are giving the opportunity to purchase two bottles customized with your name from that barrel.  As an Ambassador, I've received glasses, special ice trays, wrapping paper, DVDs and all of type of branded merchandise, but having my name on one of those barrels at the distillery has been favorite membership benefit.

     After patiently waiting for several years, this month I was notified via a very special golden ticket that my barrel of bourbon had matured and I could pick my bottles. Soon after receiving my invitation, I made my first trip to the Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky which has also been designated a National Historic Landmark.  I left early in the morning from Dayton, Ohio, planning on hitting the first tour of the day, but Cincinnati traffic decided to change those plans for me.  Fortunately, I was still able to catch one of the many tours that occur throughout the day, and I honestly couldn't have picked a more beautiful day.


 

The Samuels Family

     The tour starts inside the Distiller's House/Vistor's Center with a brief history lesson on how Maker's Mark was created by Bill Samuels Sr. and his wife, Margie, and ends with...surprise, surprise... a bourbon tasting.

Some Interesting Points:

• Margie Samuels  marketing ideas, including using the red wax, contributed greatly to the success of Maker's Mark.
• Bourbon Lake, their 10 acre limestone spring-fed lake and the distillery's only source of water, is guarded 24/7 and it's believed that Maker’s Mark is the only bourbon distillery to use pure iron-free, limestone water exclusively.
• The drip of the wax is patented.  Expect a call from the Maker's Mark lawyers if you have a product that has even a millimeter of drip down the sides.
• After the barrels are used, they are sent to Scotland to make Scotch whiskey.    

The Mash

     We crossed the covered Whiskey Bridge over Whiskey Creek and headed to the Still House where this small batch bourbon is made.  This is where the red winter wheat, malted barley and yellow corn grains that create the distinct Maker's Mark flavor are ground and combined with hot water to create the mash that will eventually become one of the most recognized bourbons in the world.  We got to taste the mash and I'd have to say it was delicious.  If they would have given me a spoon, I would have gotten full AND tipsy!




Label Printing Room

     The next stop was to the Label Printing Room.  Only the very first labels were printed by an outside company. Those labels came back with a huge error on them and the Samuels family decided to print them in-house every since.  One of the things I enjoyed on this brief part of the tour was seeing the display case with the special edition bottles from over the years.  I've only seen these special edition bottles on sale in the state of Kentucky (or ebay), but I've managed to get a couple over the years.


     From there, the tour headed over to one of the Rick Houses where we saw the barrels and racks where the bourbon ages for 7-8 years.  A team of tasters determines when the it has properly aged.  It's decided all by taste and not by any time.  Another difference between other distilleries, Maker's Mark is all-natural, all-handmade and the barrels are hand rolled. No forklifts here.

Inside the Rick House



Getting ready to Taste

     The Bottling House was next, but they were breaking for lunch and we just missed them in action.  So, we moved on to the next building which housed the Ambassadors barrels, but also provided everyone's favorite part of the tour, the bourbon tasting.  Surprisingly, our group had one newbie who had never tasted Maker's Mark.  We tasted four different bourbons: Maker's White bourbon, regular Maker's Mark, Maker's that had been over-aged and the new Maker's 46. I was too busy enjoying my own tasting to find out what the newbie thought, but I definitely heard no complaints. 





Gift Shop

     Finally, like any good tour, we passed through the gift shop at the conclusion.  However, there is where I got to redeem my golden ticket and get my customized bottles from my barrel. I got to put the customized label on the bottle myself, and I donned gloves, sleeves, an apron and goggles to dip the bottles in the hot wax myself.  Anyone can purchase bottles in the gift shop for dipping in the wax, but only Ambassador can dip a bottle from their own barrel with their name on it.

     There was a lot of fun and interesting information given along the tour and I highly recommend you or anyone who enjoys Maker's Mark, a good bourbon or just American history general visit the distillery.  If you can, try and pick as beautiful of a day as I did!

The distillery is open on holidays except for Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.  Monday through Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, Sundays: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., (March through December).  The tour and bourbon tasting is $7 per adult. There is no charge for active duty military with an ID. For more information or to become a Maker's Mark Ambassador, visit www.makersmark.com.

The Maker's Mark Distillery is also part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

 



(Photos & Video)