Jan 29, 2019
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Japan
seen from Switzerland
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
seen from Switzerland
seen from United States
seen from Switzerland
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Norway
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from South Africa
Try This Early Morning Cocktail–Morgan’s Breakfast http://dlvr.it/M8byvJ
Maker's 46
Bourbon // Small Batch // 47% // 94 Proof // Maker’s Mark (Beam Suntory), Loretto, KY
Maker’s 46 was released in 2010 and represented the first new Maker’s Mark recipe since it first hit the shelves in 1958. Let’s begin with the name…46, a favourite number of yours truly for other reasons (guess correctly and I’ll buy you a beer), stands for the number of attempted wood recipes tested before those fine folks in Loretto were fully satisfied with their creation.
Allegedly made in response to the surge in popularity of rye whiskey, 46 was created with the intention of a longer finish and a more pronounced wood note on the nose. This is partly achieved by the addition of French Oak staves to the barrel for the final 9-11 weeks of winter maturation. These staves are seasoned and aged for 18 months before use. The liquid that heads in to the barrel is the same 70% corn, 16% wheat and 14% malted barley as the eponymous Maker’s Mark, with the only difference being the end result courtesy of being cut to 2%/4 Proof higher, and the aforementioned French Oak.
On the nose we have a sweet and rich line of toffee with a hint of seared oak cutting through a scent of toasty spices in retro-taste. As soon as it hits the palette, it warms without burning and releases a creamy, rich oak flavour with a pocketful of vanilla up front, caramel at the back, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in the middle.
A combination of sweetness and spiced (mulled, almost) fruits, reduces on the tongue slowly, leaving a pleasant yet deeply sweet finish lingering and big gust of wood - the French Oak maturation really does it’s job well in carrying the bourbon through. The impression gained is that 46 wasn’t made to take away from standard Maker’s Mark, but to open up a new avenue of exploration for the distillery in the way finishing bourbon can have such a major effect on the overall product. Whatever may be next??
I was in the privileged position of sitting through a seminar and tasting of Maker’s 46 in Loretto in the summer of 2013, and the overwhelming feeling after was the sheer pride of all involved in the process of Maker’s 46 at their achievement - A sense of pride richly deserved, and washed down with a large glass, I’m sure.
(image credit - Behance)
Maker's 46
Client: Maker's 46
Timing: April 2013
Esquire and Maker's 46 partnered to create "Casual Complexity," a unique print and video campaign designed to showcase Maker's46 as a complex whisky that doesn't require a complex palate.
Through Esquire's authoritative perspective on style, "Casual Complexity" showed men complex style doesn't have to mean complicated. The print version gave readers tips on how to enhance their style with simple, uncomplicated changes. This concept was then translated to a stunning video (see Video tab) showing the Maker's 46 complexity without complication through a short narrative of a man getting ready for a date, upgrading his style through simple changes, and meeting his lovely companion for a freshly poured Maker's 46.
The video lived through the following channels:
Esquire's tablet enhanced edition off the Maker's 46 advertorial
Post-roll on Esquire tablet cover videos
Maker's Mark variety of channels:
Maker's Mark website
Maker's Mark social media outlets
YouTube
Maker's Mark global app
Maker's 46
Client: Maker's 46
Timing: April 2013
Esquire and Maker's 46 partnered to create "Casual Complexity," a unique print and video campaign designed to showcase Maker's46 as a complex whisky that doesn't require a complex palate.
Through Esquire's authoritative perspective on style, "Casual Complexity" showed men complex style doesn't have to mean complicated. The print version (see Advertorials tab) gave readers tips on how to enhance their style with simple, uncomplicated changes. This concept was then translated to a stunning video showing the Maker's 46 complexity without complication through a short narrative of a man getting ready for a date, upgrading his style through simple changes, and meeting his lovely companion for a freshly poured Maker's 46.
The video lived through the following channels:
Esquire's tablet enhanced edition off the Maker's 46 advertorial
Post-roll on Esquire tablet cover videos
Maker's Mark variety of channels:
Maker's Mark website
Maker's Mark social media outlets
YouTube
Maker's Mark global app
We Go to Kentucky: Maker's Mark
There's a lot of news right now about Maker's Mark watering down their bourbon - I'll get to that in another post, but I've got to say, I understand the theory behind it, because that operation is tiny.
Maker's was by far the cutest distillery I've ever seen. First of all, it looked like a page out of Southern Living - if there was a window, there was a wreath on it (remember, we went right after Christmas). If you could tie a red velvet ribbon around it, it was there, even if it was a huge brass barrel. The meeting point was a house, with a 50s style kitchen, and a phone that would ring and play a skit about Maker's Mark Jr. getting into shenanigans at the warehouse if you picked it up. Also, they served coffee, which was much needed by that point. It was just really freaking picturesque, and while I wanted to work everywhere we went, I wanted to live there.
The tour was similar to the others, except even prettier. Maker's only bottles Maker's Mark and Makers 46, a slightly fancier bourbon. The red wax caps are still hand dipped, but folks can only be at that part of the assembly line for 30 minutes at a time, so they don't get burned.
For the tasting, we had white lightning, Maker's Mark, overaged Maker's Mark, and Maker's 46, which was a nice tour through the barreling process, and really helped you understand how important aging is.
At the gift shop, I dipped my own little bottle, and it sits in our living room, away from the bar, so we won't be tempted to break it open. It is strictly for emergencies, and hopefully we won't come to one anytime soon.
Vote the Cocktail Party 2012
Well, tomorrow is finally Election Day, and after a fun event at Maker's Mark Distillery on Saturday night, I can honestly say that I fully support... the Cocktail Party. My husband and I joined several hundred other Maker's Mark Ambassadors for the final Cocktail Party event at the mother ship in Loretto, Ky., where we enjoyed live music; a lesson in pairing food and bourbon; terrific duck sausage prepared by Busta Grill from Louisville; a quick chat with Bill Samuels Jr.; and, of course, bourbon. The Maker's 46 warmed us up, but while the red-white-and-blue cocktail created for the event gets points for creativity, the actual taste left us a bit cold. We opted not to stand in line to dip a bottle (although many ambassadors, like those below, did), instead purchasing a commemorative glass, above.
It was nice to see all that red and blue mingling in harmony, and who can argue with the Cocktail Party slogan: "Life, liberty and the pursuit of bourbon"?
Remember, here in Kentucky no alcohol may be served or purchased while the polls are open on Tuesday (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Heaven Hill and Woodford Reserve will be closed on Nov. 6 and other distilleries will have limited hours and tours, so call ahead to avoid disappointment. (And if you happen to be flying through or into Louisville from elsewhere, please don't give the servers at the airport bars a hard time; they didn't pass the silly alcohol laws.)
Whatever party you support, please exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, and whether you're celebrating later or drowning your sorrows, do so responsibly.
I'm the Bourbon Babe, and I approve this message.