Beam Suntory, has announced the launch of the first release
in a new limited annual series of bourbon bottlings, from its Kentucky based Maker’s
Mark distillery.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon (57.9% ABV) which is the
brands oldest release to date, is a cask strength Bourbon, which has been produced
using a marriage of 12 Year Old (87%) and 11 Year Old (13%) whiskies.
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| Maker's Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon |
To become Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged, barrels of the distillery’s classic distillate first spend approximately six years aging in traditional bourbon warehouses, where they endure the Kentucky climate and its temperature swings, until they reach full maturity and can be called “Maker’s Mark.”
Barrels are then moved into the distillery’s proprietary
whisky cellar for an additional five to six years of aging before being blended
to taste and bottled. Built into the natural limestone shelf of the Kentucky
hills, the cellar’s consistently cool environment slows down the tannic impact
that occurs during maturation, while allowing the bourbon to develop a deeper,
darker flavour with hidden depths, but no bitterness.
This innovative and taste-led approach in pursuit of an
older Maker’s Mark expression continues the boundary-pushing mindset that has
shaped the brand since the beginning. Founders Bill and Margie Samuels
challenged category norms when they burned their 170-year-old family recipe,
choosing to use red winter wheat instead of rye in their mashbill for a softer,
smoother bourbon.
Commenting on the launch, Rob Samuels, 8th generation whisky
maker and grandson of the founders of Maker's Mark, said: “For more than 65
years, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn’t something we did. It’s not
that we didn’t believe in it; we simply hadn’t found a way to do it that didn’t
compromise on our taste vision – until now. Cellar Aged embodies an older whisky
that’s distinctly Maker’s Mark. One rooted in challenging convention,
delivering new flavor experiences from the environment that surrounds us, and
building on a taste vision that’s been generations in the making.”
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon, will be available from specialist
retailers in the US from September, ahead of rolling out globally later this,
for a RRP of $150.00.
Posted by Steve Rush