Old Maker's Mark question

[Enoch]

Among other things I mention in Collectables below. I picked up 2 bottles of Maker's Mark pre-upc today (around 1980). It is clearly darker than my current bottle but I was wondering if anyone knows if Maker's has changed anything over the last 30 years. I'm not going to open them yet because I have too much open right now but the guy had several more bottles and I was trying to decide whether to get the rest of them.

Thanks,
Enoch

[Gillman]

My suggestion would be to buy a current bottle and offer comparative taste notes. To my knowledge, nothing has changed in production over the years, but some have suggested the product was richer-tasting 30 years ago, which could perhaps indicate it was aged longer then. A comparative taste test would seem the only way really to know.

Sometimes memories are faulty and perhaps there is no real difference.

Gary

[Enoch]

My suggestion would be to buy a current bottle and offer comparative taste notes. To my knowledge, nothing has changed in production over the years, but some have suggested the product was richer-tasting 30 years ago, which could perhaps indicate it was aged longer then. A comparative taste test would seem the only way really to know.

Sometimes memories are faulty and perhaps there is no real difference.

Gary

Shall do. I'm also going to bring a bottle to the sampler in April. Already have my reservations.

[Gillman]

Thanks for this on both counts.

Let me say that Maker's of that era is something not really nailed down on this board, because it's been hard to find any. (Ditto Jack Daniels from the 1970's or before).

Good find and just your own taste notes here would be helpful to try to understand if there has been some change.

Gary

[tmckenzie]

I know one thing for sure. I first drank Makers in the mid 90's. it was good stuff up until around 2000. Something changed. I have a book that Gary Regan did in the mid nineties as well. There is a picture of Steve Nally standing by a fermenter at Makers with a jar. At least it looks like him, but anyway, the mash is for sure darker than mashes I have seen in person the last time I was there which was a few years ago. Darker in color meaning it was not as yellow. Meaning to me the mash used to have more wheat in it. The change in taste I noticed was it became not nearly as drinkable and had a hot taste to it. I have not drank much of it since.

I have had JD from the late 70's it is a horse of a different color as well. Almost rum like.

[Gillman]

Interesting, I did greatly enjoy those two in the 70's and have always wondered if it is just nostalgia or something changing. With Maker's, one would think the information should be available simply by asking Bill Samuels. Personally I would doubt they changed the mash bill in this way, but who knows?

I did have a small taste once (i.e., in the last few years) of Maker's Mark from the 70's courtesy a member of this board and it was excellent, rich and darker seemingly than today's. But I'd like to repeat the experience to confirm...

Gary

[T Comp]

II have had JD from the late 70's it is a horse of a different color as well. Almost rum like.

Very interesting about the late 70's JD being rum like. Same thing with the Brown-Forman made Old Forester of that time. I had an '81 OF BIB that was rummy enough to have been thought as one in a fun blind tasting among friends one night. An '83 I now have open continues with it too.

[tmckenzie]

Mash change or no, and the idea behind the rummy whiskies of jd and bf of old just indicates to me that the creeping up of proof off the still and in the barrel has caused the biggest changes to the flavors of whiskey.

[Gillman]

That seems the most logical explanation.

[MacinJosh]

Dale (NeoTexan) would be the one to ask on this subject. I'll shoot him a note.


Josh

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