Tucker Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Nothing to stop people from dangling their own wood in whatever whiskey, if they want to experiment.What folks do in the privacy of their own homes is their own business. I just don't want anyone bringing "their own wood"-infused bourbon to a GBS get-together (are you listening, Jimmy?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBoldBully Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) Well on a positive note I am glad there isn't some bourbon association or regulatory body trying to stop distillers, despite transparency, from being wood danglers (analogous to what happened with Compass Box).edited to reduce risk of double entendre. Edited October 15, 2015 by BigBoldBully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 this article seems to have a bit more info on the private selection program.http://www.drinkspirits.com/bourbon/the-maturation-of-makers-mark/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrel800 Posted November 6, 2015 Share Posted November 6, 2015 Well on a positive note I am glad there isn't some bourbon association or regulatory body trying to stop distillers, despite transparency, from being wood danglers (analogous to what happened with Compass Box).edited to reduce risk of double entendre. "Wood Dangler" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPPSmoker Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 this article seems to have a bit more info on the private selection program.http://www.drinkspirits.com/bourbon/the-maturation-of-makers-mark/That was a good read. Thanks for sharing.Does Maker's Mark continue to sell MM46CS at their distillery gift shop and if so, will it be a fixture there going into the future? Or was that a one time deal around KBF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted November 9, 2015 Share Posted November 9, 2015 That was a good read. Thanks for sharing.Does Maker's Mark continue to sell MM46CS at their distillery gift shop and if so, will it be a fixture there going into the future? Or was that a one time deal around KBF?I don't have any inside info but I expect it to slowly roll out over time a bit like the MMCS did. I presume it remains available at the gift shop for now but someone who has stopped in recently would have to confirm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantasm Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 i can confirm they are still selling MM46cs i bought a few bottles yesterday, but they said they are about to stop making the one with the white hand made labels. Then at some point reintroduce them with fancy etched production bottles.Also they are right now building caves in the hill beside the distillery so they can ramp out the MM46 private selects. They said MM46 needs to be aged in low temperatures. so they are limited in their warehouses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 i can confirm they are still selling MM46cs i bought a few bottles yesterday, but they said they are about to stop making the one with the white hand made labels. Then at some point reintroduce them with fancy etched production bottles.Also they are right now building caves in the hill beside the distillery so they can ramp out the MM46 private selects. They said MM46 needs to be aged in low temperatures. so they are limited in their warehouses.Good info. Thanks Fantasm. So, the extra finishing aging for 46 will be done in these caves? Neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fantasm Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 ya the cave aged bourbon sounds good to me. also the white label distillery only MM46CS, from what i remember (after the tasting) the tour guide said like they only made like 1200 cases or so and at this point they have 20 cases left. So they will probably start producing MM46cs for retail in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 I'm not sure if I have ever heard of a bourbon distillery aging barrels in such a manner. Very interesting. Thanks again for the report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2015/04/20/why-makers-mark-is-building-a-cave.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Of course temperature controlled warehouses have been around since the 1880s but I have to admit caves have a certain cachet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Even so, the idea of temperature controlled warehouses were am attempt to allow some accelerated aging during the colder months, by heating the rickhouses. If I understand this right, this cave idea is to keep a consistent year round temp at the lowest level needed for some slow wood interaction.Fantastic thread below from the SB archives. Dave Pickerell is "Bourbon Geek", and gives some great professional insight:http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-12147.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Thanks for the link to that thread Joe. I love looking back at those threads when industry insiders posted more often and freely here.Before I read your response, and Dave's words on the matter, I was thinking exactly the same thing: they are looking for a cool environment and air conditioning a warehouse is going to be too costly. They can get the temperatures they need at the bottom floor and in the middle of the warehouse, but if I remember correctly what I read from the article, they have all that warehouse real estate full already and need more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyfish Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Someone explain that stable temperature in caves concept. I thought the point of variations in temperature was that the bourbon moves in and out of the wood as it expands and contracts. If the temp never changes, or only minimally, would that not slow the maturation to a crawl? Scotch takes longer to age than bourbon because it gets cold there and stays cold. Temps in KY go up and down hundreds or thousands of time before the bourbon is dumped. And, of course, bourbon barrels have all the sumption sucked out of them before they get demoted to Scotch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Someone explain that stable temperature in caves concept. I thought the point of variations in temperature was that the bourbon moves in and out of the wood as it expands and contracts. If the temp never changes, or only minimally, would that not slow the maturation to a crawl? Scotch takes longer to age than bourbon because it gets cold there and stays cold. Temps in KY go up and down hundreds or thousands of time before the bourbon is dumped. And, of course, bourbon barrels have all the sumption sucked out of them before they get demoted to Scotch.Makers wants this cooler stable temperature only for the finishing part of the aging with 46 and this new program where they need a cooler temperature to get the flavors they want. Too hot and they get too much influence from the staves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squire Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Yeah, it's a finishing process and caves provide a fairly constant, cool temperature. Of course a single story limestone warehouse with three foot thick walls would serve much the same purpose and is a lot more attractive than a hole in the ground. Still, cave aging has an undeniable marketing appeal as it reeks of exclusivity, more than a etched bottle in a box which anybody can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I haven't seen any plans, but judging by the way Maker's does things I doubt it will be simply a hole in the ground. They tend to make things pretty to make the experience of visiting the distillery as nice and pleasant as possible. Heck, they already have a Chihuly glass sculpture in a modified rickhouse as part of the tour! Distilleries as a tourist destination is big business, and Maker's is as good as anybody at leveraging that experience into increased sales and brand loyalty. Or, it could be just a hole in the ground... Sure, they could build a short stone rickhouse in the Scottish style to achieve their goal, as the Scots have used that template for years to maintain constant cool temps to age their whiskey. But, what screams KENTUCKY more than caves!! I mean, they got this one bigun'... http://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Perhaps the next time I visit Mamoth Cave I'll find its been filled in with cases of Maker's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAbiker Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 There are limestone caves all over KY. In my younger days we used to hike in and camp in limestone caves at Red River National Forest (back when I was willing to hike to camp). And used to pack along a little sippin bourbon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPPSmoker Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 I stumbled upon this news article today. Not much new in the article for this group except the very end. The cave excavation is going slower than expected. http://bizlex.com/2016/04/makers-mark-private-select-bourbon-hits-lexington-market/ Has anyone on here procured a bottle of MMPS yet? I'm interested to hear feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 On 11/17/2015 at 11:57 AM, Sluggo said: Perhaps the next time I visit Mamoth Cave I'll find its been filled in with cases of Maker's. I will check and let you know in a few days! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil T Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 On 4/24/2016 at 5:22 PM, DPPSmoker said: Has anyone on here procured a bottle of MMPS yet? I'm interested to hear feedback. See Joe's Wheelhouse theead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted April 26, 2016 Share Posted April 26, 2016 (edited) It looks very tempting, as I've seen a couple of private selection choices out and about. For now, I'm still passing at $69.99 and staying with the MMCS (which is $10 less costly). Edited April 26, 2016 by Paddy sp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinjoe Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Did the tour at Maker's during Sampler, and got a little peek at this new aging facility, and spoke to our guide regarding it. It is not a "cave", per se, and the guide indicated that MM was perplexed on how it was described as such. Rather, it is a masonry building that is being built into a semi-tall stone cliff-like part just off the gift shop. It would appear that the back wall of the structure may be that stone wall. No indication how/if they will decorate the other walls. There are arched open areas (windows, doors, or something) in the front. It is hard to make out much from the pic attached, but maybe y'all can get the idea... The guide indicated that he believed it will be part of their tour in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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