The Whisky Drop by Maker’s Mark: October 2023

OCTOBER 2023

Great news – you just got the Drop on something new and highly sought after. It’s Maker’s Mark® Cellar Aged, a distillery secret for years and our first foray into extra-aged bourbon. And the great news gets even greater. Riding alongside is Maker’s Mark® Cask Strength. Bottled at barrel proof and nonchill filtered, it ranges from 108 to 114 proof. It’s our full-flavored bourbon in all its glory.

There’s more to learn about this Drop by reading on. You can also join the complementary virtual tasting on Monday, October 16, at 6:30 p.m. EST. That’s where we’ll really get into all the delicious details.

CHEERS,

H��rt of LIMESTONE

The Kentucky limestone shelf – and waters filtered by it –are at the heart of making Maker’s Mark® . Limestone adds minerals to water that help with fermentation. It also filters out iron, which can affect the taste and color of our whisky.

Because limestone is so good for our water, we figured it might be good for our aging bourbon. So, we built a first-ofits-kind limestone cellar at Star Hill Farm, dynamiting into a hillside. This beautiful limestone cradle helps Cellar Aged mature into an equally beautiful bourbon. One you now have the pleasure of sipping.

CELLAR AGED 2023

After completing our LEED-certified cellar in 2016, we continued challenging bourbon conventions. Pushing our own boundaries. Stretching the limits of what it means to “age to taste, not time.”

We began a secret project: our first expression made from a blend of 11- to 12-year-old bourbon. And we soon discovered that the cellar’s year-round, 50-degree temperature was ideal for slowing the maturation process, as well as reducing the sharp, unwanted tannins that can come with Kentucky’s big temperature swings.

The secret that emerged from the cellar is a richer, fruitier and more complex bourbon. And now it’s yours to taste.

AROMA:

Dark stone fruit, caramelized sugar, toasted oak

TASTE:

Balanced with big oak, dark vanilla and fruit

FINISH:

Velvety texture, long and complex with caramelized barrel notes and baking spices

CASK STRENGTH 2023 express�on

Legend has it that when a once-reluctant Bill Samuels, Jr., tasted Cask Strength, he knew it was too good not to share. As it happens, Cask and Cellar Aged make great co-pilots in a whisky flight. Because Cellar Aged starts out as Cask Strength before its five- to six-year aging journey. You can taste for yourself the effect the additional maturation has on our bourbon when you taste them side by side. With Cask Strength, expect a surprisingly smooth approach and long finish. You’ll discover our signature, front-of-the-palate flavors with amped-up vanilla and rich oak notes.

We think you’ll see why Bill, Jr., changed his mind about barrelproof bourbon.

AROMA: Big oak, vanilla and caramel

TASTE:

Robust warm texture with notes of caramel, vanilla and spice

FINISH: Long finish on front of tongue with no harsh bitterness

Bo�rbon L��e

THE STAR OF

STAR HILL FARM

Back in 1953, Bill and Margie Samuels knew they had found the place for their distillery when they first set eyes on this pristine lake, fed by limestone-filtered springs. Bill, Sr., plunked down their $35K, and the old Burks Distillery became Star Hill Farm – and the pure water in that lake, Maker’s Mark® .

Restoring the distillery became part of the family’s life work. This ongoing pursuit includes protecting the natural resources on the 1,000-acre plot. Particularly Bourbon Lake, as it is known, now part of a 33-acre Natural Water Sanctuary. This sanctuary is the first of its kind for a distillery. It includes a buffer of forests grown from native trees and shrubs like American white oak – the same wood found in bourbon barrels. The thriving forests provide a natural filter that will purify, regenerate and replenish the Maker’s Mark® water supply for generations.