New Maker's Mark Expression in 2010

[marco246]

Bartender: And how would you like your Maker's Mark, Mr. Bond?

007: Toasted, not charred.

[jburlowski]

I believe that the WRMC SO used toasted barrels for the second barreling... And, IMHO, it was a great success.

The B-F Cooperage says they "toast" all barrels used by B-F.

[BourbonJoe]

I believe that the WRMC SO used toasted barrels for the second barreling... And, IMHO, it was a great success.

And I did not care for it (at least batch 5). Different strokes for different folks.

Joe :usflag:

[CorvallisCracker]

So is this actually available yet? Has anyone tried it?

[DukeB]

Not available yet. Here's a new tasting with Keving Smith and Tom Fischer from BourbonBlog.com that just came out. It's pretty good!

http://www.bourbonblog.com/blog/2010/02/12/new-makers-mark-bourbon-new-makers-mark-expression-kevin-smith-tasting/

[craigthom]

They are making a big deal of giving samples to Ambassadors in April, so I wouldn't expect a general release until then.

[sailor22]

Everyone is being very kind to MM when I haven't yet read a positive taste test of this new stuff.

I recall someone describing distillers adding wood chips to barrels to modify taste and accelerate aging as "knuckleheads". I wonder if that description applies to MM also?

[cowdery]

Very few people have tasted this. I haven't.

Let's also be clear that what Maker's is doing is putting a finish on a fully and conventionally aged whiskey. The "knuckleheads" reference I believe applies to people who are using so-called oak alternatives instead of conventional aging. That's a crucial distinction.

[silverfish]

So is this actually available yet? Has anyone tried it?

bourbonv over at BE has tried it.

[ILLfarmboy]

bourbonv over at BE has tried it.

That's disapointing.

Overly dry and bitter whiskey is something I can't come to terms with. Once I detect those things, that's all I can focus on.

[TomFischer]

Thanks Duke for posting our video tasting on the New Expression at the Maker's Mark Distillery with Kevin from this past week - http://www.bourbonblog.com/blog/2010/02/12/new-makers-mark-bourbon-new-makers-mark-expression-kevin-smith-tasting/

I tasted it and I like this new Maker's Mark expression. Even if you haven't tasted it, what do you think Maker's Mark should name this new expression? I'd enjoy seeing your all's suggestions on this thread and/or within the the link above..

Cheers, Tom Fischer

[Westernboys]

Kudos for Maker's Mark doing something different. People (the market) will let them know if it was worth the effort. I'll try it and if I don't like it neat, that's what old fashioned mix is for.:cool:

[flsean]

The more I see and listen to interviews on this, the less I am interested. I guess if I was more of a MM fan, I would be excited about this, as I sometimes am about new finishes on my favorite scotches. It seems like in the interviews, Kevin is just trying real hard to convince whisky drinkers to try this, even though it isn't really something that is going to be drastically different. I think I would be more interested in a single barrel version.

Will I try it? Yes. Do I expect to be overly impressed? No. I will try it simply because I will be interested in seeing how the seared staves affect the flavor.

[funknik]

The more I see and listen to interviews on this, the less I am interested. I guess if I was more of a MM fan, I would be excited about this, as I sometimes am about new finishes on my favorite scotches.

Coming from someone who is not a MM fan, what I liked most about this expression when I tasted it was how it differs. This stuff has some serious depth. It is a little one-dimensional still, but it's just a better tasting whiskey. Will the new Maker's become my daily pour? No. Will it find a place in my collection? Yes.

It is really heavy in the cinnamon, though -- wonder if this will melow out or if my palate was blasted from a lot of tasting today.

[funknik]

Isn't the percentage increase in proof more like 4.444%?

MI minimum for MM is $26.99, I'm betting this new 94 proof comes in at 32 bucks, that would be 18.56% increase.

The Maker's rep confirmed that it would be around $35 which is an extra $10 in these parts. Like I said, I'll try a bottle, but the cinnamon thing might be a deal breaker -- this is still a cop out from releasing a higher proof, longer aged whiskey . . . no matter how you slice it, this is a gimmick.