February 21, 201313 yr Makers selects their bourbons based on a certain taste profile that their master distiller is trained to recognize. In other words, his palate has to know when the bourbon coming out of the barrels in their rick houses "tastes like Makers Mark". When they've achieved that correct taste, they are all generally around a certain proof, which is more or less as a rule, higher than 90. Then they blend the barrels they've selected together, and add just enough water to get it down to a consistent 90 proof for the entire batch. The reason they say Makers Mark is aged "around 6 years" is because of variants like temperature and humidity during the aging process, which can sometimes cause certain batches to mature faster or slower than others, thereby getting those batches to the "Makers Mark taste" at different points. Generally, though, it's somewhere between 5 1/2 years and 6 1/2 years, though - which is they said their bourbon is aged about 6 years. Great explanation!
February 21, 201313 yr Thank you! So in short, its blended and diluted with water to reach the correct proof? Basically, but be careful with the word "blended" as blended whiskeys are another thing entirely, as opposed to what Maker's Mark is: straight whiskey.
February 21, 201313 yr Basically, but be careful with the word "blended" as blended whiskeys are another thing entirely, as opposed to what Maker's Mark is: straight whiskey. Would you give us the third grade explanation of that one?
February 21, 201313 yr Would you give us the third grade explanation of that one? Straight whiskey is a whiskey without additives that is fermented into a spirit with an alcohol content no higher than 80 percent. Filtering and diluting it with water are the only things you're allowed to do to it after fermentation and prior to bottling. Blended whiskey comes from the mixing of different types of whiskey (like mixing a single-malt with some grain whiskey) or mixing whiskey with a high-alcohol neutral spirit (something higher than 80 percent), or mixing in colorings or flavorings, all of which are verboten in straight whiskey. Lots of Scotch and Irish whiskeys are blended. All blended whiskeys have at least one straight whiskey a component.
February 21, 201313 yr Wild Turkey's (I was at the distillery this past Saturday) standard bottle of 101 is aged 8 years. They have a slight difference in maturing time by a couple of months either way, but apparently they are relatively dead on 8 years. That is the standard that they have determined through years of distilling, and they know that their bourbon comes out after 8 years very close to a 101 proof, to the point that of all the major bourbons distilled in Kentucky, their 101 proof gets the least amount of water added of all of them. Furthermore, their 81 proof version is the same exact product as their 101 bourbon, except they cut it with enough water to lower the proof to 81. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit is a single barrel of their bourbon that has been selected for superior taste instead of age. It is cut down to 101 proof as well. Conversely, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, is made by combining select barrels of 6-year aged, 8-year aged, and 12-year aged bourbon, and blending them together for a specific taste. The Rare Breed isn't cut at all, and has to be proofed batch by batch.
February 21, 201313 yr ^ Not exactly third grade level but gotcha Getslow, thanks brother. First things first: I typically don't teach the fundamentals of boozing to eight-year-olds... but let's try this. Straight whiskey - whiskey that has only been filtered or diluted with water before bottling Blended whiskey - whiskey that has been combined with another whiskey or other ingredients in addition to filtering and diluting prior to bottling.
February 21, 201313 yr I know from watching TV I am not smarter than a 5th grader so I ask for the 3rd grade explanation of things.
February 21, 201313 yr Nice little update from the Washington Post on the tight space between a rock and a hard place Maker's Mark currently finds itself... Bourbonomics 101: What the Maker’s Mark dilution debacle says about corporate strategy Saw that the other day and it's pretty interesting. It definitely clouds the typical supply/demand price equilibrium. On a side note, I picked up some Eagle Rare last night. It's becoming one of my go-to bourbons.
February 21, 201313 yr Saw that the other day and it's pretty interesting. It definitely clouds the typical supply/demand price equilibrium. On a side note, I picked up some Eagle Rare last night. It's becoming one of my go-to bourbons. I've been a pretty big Eagle Rare fan for a few years now. I pretty much always have a bottle of it in my liquor cabinet.
February 21, 201313 yr Anybody tried the Jim Beam's new Jacob's Ghost White Whiskey? It's Beam's attempt to capitalize on the white whiskey kick that I largely attribute to the show Moonshiners on the Discovery Channel. A friend of mine who works as a liquor distributor gave me a bottle to try. Definite thumbs down from me. There's no taste at all.
February 21, 201313 yr Anybody tried the Jim Beam's new Jacob's Ghost White Whiskey? It's Beam's attempt to capitalize on the white whiskey kick that I largely attribute to the show Moonshiners on the Discovery Channel. A friend of mine who works as a liquor distributor gave me a bottle to try. Definite thumbs down from me. There's no taste at all. It's different, that's for sure.
February 21, 201313 yr Wild Turkey's (I was at the distillery this past Saturday) standard bottle of 101 is aged 8 years. They have a slight difference in maturing time by a couple of months either way, but apparently they are relatively dead on 8 years. That is the standard that they have determined through years of distilling, and they know that their bourbon comes out after 8 years very close to a 101 proof, to the point that of all the major bourbons distilled in Kentucky, their 101 proof gets the least amount of water added of all of them. Furthermore, their 81 proof version is the same exact product as their 101 bourbon, except they cut it with enough water to lower the proof to 81. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit is a single barrel of their bourbon that has been selected for superior taste instead of age. It is cut down to 101 proof as well. Conversely, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, is made by combining select barrels of 6-year aged, 8-year aged, and 12-year aged bourbon, and blending them together for a specific taste. The Rare Breed isn't cut at all, and has to be proofed batch by batch. Very nice with about 4 ice cubes.
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.