Maker’s Mark “Red Wax”
There are times when your just interested in having a whiskey. When what is called for is not a special single-cask or cask-strength bottling, or a rare whisky that you got a sample of from a friend, or that bottle of 30-year old Glenfarclas that really warrants a special occasion. No, in those instances what is called for is a straight-up, no-frills whiskey. A whiskey that doesn’t ask for contemplation, but for you to simply enjoy it.
But it still has to be a good whiskey. One that you can enjoyably sip while watching a movie, reading a book, or spending time with friends. One that doesn’t sear your palate with its raw alcohol, its youth. One that is dynamic and offers more than one dimension to your palate. Basically, one that both tastes good, and isn’t boring.
See, the problem here is that the special whiskies in your collection have raised the bar high, and you can’t just go back to Jack-and-Cokes. The whiskey you’ll turn to in those moments where you’re just looking for a good ol’ whiskey has to at least harken to the other, more dynamic and memorable whiskies that you drink on other occasions. Otherwise, the reality is that it’ll just be too much of a stretch, and the chances that you’ll enjoy it just too small.
Given my growing fondness for wheated bourbons, I decided to give a bottle of Maker’s Mark a chance. I’d only tried it on a couple of occasions before, and so I was unsure of how it would work out. But I have to say, I’m pretty impressed at how well this whiskey stands up in the glass. My expectations were mixed, but I’ve really grown to like this whisky.
On February 26th 1954, Bill Samuels fired up the stills at his newly refurbished distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. Five years later, in 1959, the first bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon went on sale. This was the culmination of Samuels’ efforts in setting up his new distillery, aided along the way by Pappy Van Winkle – who provided Samuels with the recipe for the wheated bourbon distilled at the Stitzel-Weller distillery -, Dan Street of Brown-Forman, Ed Shapira of Heaven Hill, and Jere Beam of Jim Beam. Along with advice and knowledge, each of these distilleries offered yeast samples to Samuels, as he worked to settle on the final recipe for his new bourbon. Van Winkle also provided samples of new make bourbon, so that Samuels and his distillers would know how wheated bourbon should taste when coming off the stills. In Bourbon Straight, Charles Cowdery writes that, “[Samuels] always intended to make a wheat recipe bourbon because he preferred that flavor, but he had his own ideas about how to do it. Mostly his collaborators kept him out of trouble.”*
Maker’s Mark has essentially stuck to offering one product throughout its history. There have been occasional special bottlings released in limited supply and largely only at the distillery, and a “Black Wax” Maker’s Mark Select that was sold in Duty Free and limited export markets (but not in the U.S.). But for all intents and purposes, the red wax Maker’s Mark is the distillery’s only product. (Until recently that is. Last month was announced the upcoming release of Maker’s Mark 46.)
Tasting Notes
Maker’s Mark is roughly six years old when bottled. According to Cowdery, they use 1000 gallon tanks for blending together the different barrels that make up any given batch, whereas most distilleries use much larger tanks for this purpose. This is indicative of the consistency of their barrels, since they don’t need to blend nearly as many of them as other distilleries do in order to achieve a consistent flavor.
The whiskey is the color of well-polished gold with a subtle amber tint. The nose has notes of pepper, butterscotch, honey, and a pointed hint of citrus that really highlights the softer, sweeter flavors. The mouthfeel is soft and lightly textured, with a whiff of heat that gives a sense of its youth. The flavors are sweeter than the nose, with high-toned sugars and caramel mingled with candied orange peel and an interesting golden raisin element, underscored by spicy, resiny notes. The finish has warm flavors of custard, salted caramel, vanilla, and lingering molasses and caramel brittle. The finish is very nice, a solid ending to this whiskey.
All things told, Maker’s Mark proves to be an easy-drinking whiskey, entirely suitable for sipping, and a good buffer between you and your more special bottles. Interestingly, this bottle has been open for 1-2 months, and during that time the whiskey has really softened. It’s not quite as brash as it was when the bottle was first opened. A glass tonight has more softness, and rounder sweetness than the whiskey initially had when I opened the bottle. I also found this recently with a bottle of Van Winkle 12-year. So, take that for what you will. Nice to know that you don’t have to rush through a bottle of these two whiskies.
All in all, this makes me look forward to trying the “46″ bottling that they will be putting out soon. It also makes me pine for the opportunity to try the Black Wax Maker’s Mark (an older version of Maker’s Mark), which has been spoken of very highly by folks such as John Hansell of the Malt Advocate.
*This quote and much of the other information in this paragraph comes from Cowdery’s excellent book, Bourbon Straight.
Related Posts:
No comments yet.