Maker's Mark help required.

[Dave_in_Canada]

I had given up on Maker's Mark some time ago, but after having visited the distillery recently, I decided to buy another bottle to give it another chance.

Simply put, I can't really find anything nice to say about this stuff (consistent with previous tastings). And I'm not usually a negative person

I'm hoping that somebody here can enlighten me as to how I might enjoy this bourbon. First off, I'm not a mixer, or icer. But I'd be open to all comments, as my bottle may go down the drain if I can't find a way to enjoy it!

Dave

P.S. Mailing the bottle to SB.com members is not an option!

[MurphyDawg]

Sorry man but there isnt gonna be a whole lotta help convincing that MM is great here. It seems so sad to me that they go through so much effort in making that bourbon and if I remember right (in my old tasting notes )I likened it to the "Bud Light of bourbon". If it was cheaper I would buy it but at almost $20 a bottle there are many finer wheated bourbons out there, if you can live without the pretty dripping wax.

Sorry I cant be of help.

TomC

[kitzg]

They have a beautiful distillery and a great story. The VanWinkle traditional mashbill should yield good bourbon. And most consumers consider this top shelf. Unfortunately, once most of us tried other wheated bourbons we can't justify the price for MM and find others better. I've not actually tried MM for quite awhile for that exact reason.

If I could give you a drink of Ten High or Old Crow, though, that might convince you that MM is better than others and not worth tossing out.

As crazy as this sounds I'd chill it. (in a freezer)

[Dave_in_Canada]

I think when Pappy shared his recipe with the Samuels family, he either intentionally left out a few important steps, or something got lost in the translation

[bobbyc]

I had some Maker's a year or so ago after not having any since my " Whiskey Sours" days. It's always better than I remember it and still not worth the price. Every now and then Rite-Aide lets it go for around 15 and that's more like it.

[cowdery]

Yeah, I hate the fact that Maker's Mark leaves me cold. I don't dislike it, but about the only time I drink it these days is in bars where my only other choices are Jim and Jack, and even in those situations half the time I'll just have a Jameson. Overall what they do is so cool, I wish I were more excited about their whiskey.

How to salvage it? What you need is something in your bunker you consider overaged, or nearly so. For me, that's Pure Kentucky XO. When I have something that's a little too raw (some Yellowstone I picked up on a whim, for example), a splash of PK-XO makes them both more palatable.

Maker's Mark too raw? Well, yeah. The problem with Maker's is its youth, but it doesn't seem "raw" because of the wheat. To my taste they're selling it too young, but since they're selling all they can make, and for a nice profit, I think they know what they're doing.

[Gillman]

I agree fully. The current Rowan's Creek strikes me as inferior to the one released a few years ago. Clearly it was bottled (the back label says so) at about 15 years old, not 12 as the (front) label nominally states. I plan to add a splash to a bottle of Jim Beam White label I have. This practice was done in the old days (1800's), they would add some tannic, well-aged whiskey to a young whiskey to improve both. I have had the XO Chuck refers to and agree it is a little woody. Age can be good but there is a limit; or maybe, some whiskeys simply age better than others..

Gary

[DavidNelson]

3/4 MM, 1/4 good ginger ale. I like Vernor's or Reed's Original (the extra over-powers). Its a tasty drink, and it will use up that MM.

Cheers,

Dave