Maker's Mark

This article is about the bourbon whiskey. For the marking used to identify a product's maker, see trademark .

Maker's Mark

Maker's Mark
Type	Bourbon whiskey
Manufacturer	Beam Inc.
Country of origin	Kentucky, United States
Introduced	1958
Alcohol by volume	45.50%
Proof	90
Related products	Jim Beam

Maker’s Mark is a small batch bourbon whiskey that is distilled in Loretto, Kentucky by Beam Inc.. It is sold in distinctively squarish bottles, which are sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of the American Whiskey Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

History

Production of Maker's Mark started in 1954, after its originator, T. William "Bill" Samuels Sr., purchased the distillery known as "Burks' Distillery" in Loretto, Kentucky for $35,000.^[1]

The first bottle of Maker's Mark was bottled in 1958 and featured the brand's distinctive dipped red wax seal. Maker's Mark holds a U.S. trademark (serial number 73526578) on the wax seal of their bottles.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Maker's Mark was widely marketed with the tag line, "It tastes expensive ... and is."^[2][3]

The distillery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1974, and designated a National Historic Landmark on December 16, 1980, listed as "Burks' Distillery". It was the first distillery in America to be so recognized where the landmark buildings were in active use for distilling. Other historic American distilleries in current use include the Labrot & Graham's Old Oscar Pepper Distillery (now the Woodford Reserve Distillery) and the George T. Stagg Distillery (now the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which is the oldest operating distilling site in the United States).

Maker's Mark was sold to Hiram Walker & Sons in 1981, which sold it to distillery giant UK-based Allied Domecq in 1987, which in turn sold it to Deerfield, Illinois-based Fortune Brands in 2005.^[1] In 2011 Fortune Brands split up, selling its golf related business in July, then dividing the remaining company into Beam Inc. (BEAM) and Fortune Brands Home & Security (FBHS) in October.

After the brand's creation by Bill Samuels Sr., its production was overseen by his son Bill Samuels Jr. until 2011 when he announced his retirement as president and CEO of Maker's Mark at the age of 70. His son Rob Samuels was announced to become his successor, effective 15 April 2011.^[1]

About the Bourbon

Burks' Distillery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Historic Distillery
Nearest city:	Loretto, Kentucky
Built:	1889
Architect:	Burks,George R.
Architectural style:	No Style Listed
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	74000893[4]
Added to NRHP:	December 31, 1974

Maker's Mark is aged for around 6 to 7½ years, being bottled and marketed when the company's tasters agree that it is ready. Maker's Mark is one of the few distillers to rotate the barrels from the upper to the lower levels of the aging warehouses during the aging process to even out the differences in temperature during the process. The upper floors are exposed to the greatest temperature variations during the year, so rotating the barrels ensures that the bourbon in all the barrels have the same quality and taste.

Maker's Mark is sold in squarish bottles which are sealed with red wax. T. William Samuels' wife, Marjorie "Margie" Samuels, gave the whisky its name, drew its label, and thought up the wax dipping that gives the bottle its distinctive look. It was introduced to the market in 1959. Three varieties are marketed; the original, a mint julep flavor with green wax on the neck released seasonally in limited amounts, and 46, a variety flavored by introducing seared French oak slats into the traditional charred white oak barrel toward the end of its aging.^[5] The original is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume).

Maker's Mark is unusual in that no rye is used as part of the mash. Instead red winter wheat is used, along with corn (the predominant grain) and malted barley. During the planning phase of Maker's Mark, Samuels developed seven candidate mash bills for the new bourbon. As he did not have time to distill and age each one for tasting, he instead made a loaf of bread from each recipe and the one with no rye was judged the best tasting.

Maker's Mark is marketed as a small batch Bourbon. Most producers of so-called small batch Bourbons do not clarify exactly what they mean by the term. The producer of Maker's Mark says that the traditional definition is "A bourbon that is produced/distilled in small quantities of approximately 1,000 gallons or less (20 barrels) from a mash bill of around 200 bushels of grain".^[6][7][8]

While the spelling "whisky" is more commonly associated with Scotch, Maker's Mark is one of the few American-made whiskies to be labeled using the Scottish spelling ("whisky" as opposed to "whiskey" with an "e"). The majority of American distillers and the American general public tend to spell the word with the "e", although the United States law and some other brands (such as George Dickel and Old Forester) also use the spelling "whisky". The American distillers who use the spelling without an "e", such as Maker's Mark, tend to have a Scottish heritage or a marketing strategy of associating their product with the Scottish tradition.^[9]

Bourbon House & Lounge

In addition to the distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, there are also branded restaurants, the first of which is located in the Fourth Street Live! entertainment complex in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The lounge opened in October 2004 with the grand opening of the Fourth Street Live! complex. It is decorated with backlit Maker's Mark bottles and the traditional Maker's Mark wax dripping from the ceiling. While the lounge focuses on Maker's Mark, it also features other bourbons from each of Kentucky's distilleries. The menu was designed by Chef Al Paris of the famous Zanzibar Blue restaurant in Philadelphia.

In May 2008, the Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge opened in Kansas City, Missouri's downtown Power & Light District. In March, 2009, the third Maker's Mark Bourbon House & Lounge opened at the Indiana Live Casino in Shelbyville, Indiana just outside Indianapolis. Maker's Mark Indianapolis features 200 wines by the bottle and 20 by the glass, and has a bourbon list with 63 varieties.^{[citation needed]}

Maker's Mark Bourbon House and Lounge in Fourth Street Live!, Louisville.

Expert ratings

Maker's Mark bourbon has earned solid marks at international Spirit ratings competitions. Its primary bourbon earned a gold medal at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirit Ratings Competition and a score of 90-95 from Wine Enthusiast in 2007.^[10] The Maker's Mark 46—which benefits from longer aging and exposure to toasted French oak staves—has earned similar ratings.^[11]

The production line at the Maker's Mark distillery.

Limited Edition Collector's Sets

Keeneland Collector's Sets Maker's Mark began special edition bottles featuring Keeneland bottles for horses in 1997. The label was white with a dark green horse and green wax. Other Keeneland bottles include famous Derby winners such as Secretariat (2003), Seattle Slew (2004) and Affirmed (2005).

University of Kentucky

Maker's Mark has featured several University of Kentucky sports personalities on its University of Kentucky line of limited release bottles. Each bottle can be signed for free by the personality that was selected for the bottle. The signing party is held at Keeneland horse track in the university's home city of Lexington.

The first University of Kentucky special edition bottle was produced in 1993. In celebration of the 1996 NCAA Men's Basketball Champions Maker's Mark printed a bottle that had a denim background with white type. The team's coach at the time, Rick Pitino, signed the bottle.^[12]

Other bottles include: Wildcat Bottle (2001), Bill Keightley (2002), Rupp's Runts (2006),^[13] The Unforgettables (2007),^[14] Joe B. Hall (2008),^[15] Rich Brooks (2009),^[16] and John Calipari (2010).^[17]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Samuels To Step Down As Maker's Mark President, Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press, 12 Jan. 2011.
2. ^ IT TASTES EXPENSIVE...AND IS trademark description page.
3. ^ Maker's Mark review page at Bourbon Central
4. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
5. ^ Schreiner, Bruce (2010-06-07). "Maker's Mark to uncap first new bourbon since '50s". www.courier-journal.com. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100607/BUSINESS/6070355/Maker-s-Mark-to-uncap-first-new-bourbon-since-50s. Retrieved 2010-07-04. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Maker's Mark Bourbon Glossary, official web site.
7. ^ Maker's Mark Distillery Tour in Loretto, KY Watch it made in the U.S.A.
8. ^ Bourbon – Maker's Mark, Edencroft Fine Wines.
9. ^ "Whiskey versus Whisky" By Eric Asimov. The New York Times, December 4, 2008.
10. ^ Maker's Mark Ratings Summary from Proof66.com
11. ^ Maker's Mark 46 Ratings Summary from Proof66.com
12. ^ UK Wildcats Maker's Bottle
13. ^ Rupp's Runts Maker's Bottle
14. ^ Unforgettables honored on Maker's Bottle
15. ^ Joe B. Hall Featured on Maker's Bottle
16. ^ Rich Brooks Honored with Maker's Bottle
17. ^ Calipari to be Featured on Maker's Bottle

The "Quart House" on the distillery grounds. Customers could refill their quart bottles here.

External links

• Maker's Mark Official Website
• A lengthy review of Maker's Mark, Bourbon Central
• The Whisky Portal
• National Historic Landmark Program: Burks' Distillery

Coordinates: 37°38′52″N 85°20′56″W / 37.64778°N 85.34889°W / 37.64778; -85.34889