With this drop, we’re bringing you a first-ever taste of something completely new. If you received our last drop, you’ll know we’ve now retired our Mocha stave. And if you missed out, well, here’s another opportunity to give it a proper farewell while comparing it directly to its successor – Mendiant. Both Melted Mocha and Rich Mendiant offer wonderful chocolate characteristics, but you’ll find out – and might keep hearing us say – “What a difference a stave makes.”
Try them neat, on the rocks, with a splash of water, in a cocktail or however else you could possibly drink bourbon. If you go the cocktail route, we’ve included a couple recipes that complement each expression nicely.
If you’d like to know the ins and outs of your expressions, you’re also invited to join for our virtual tasting with Director of Innovation and Master of Maturation Jane Bowie on June 22 at 6 p.m. EST here (Webinar ID: 876 8021 4280).
Ch e ers, The Whisky Drop at Maker’s Mark™ Team PG
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1,001 versions of Maker’s® Our Maker’s Mark® Private Selection expressions come from a firstof-its-kind barrel program made for participants to explore their own taste visions. It all begins in the tasting room where a taste profile is selected by mixing 10 staves of up to five distinct stave types – that’s 1,001 possible combinations. Then it’s on to the cellar where we age caskstrength Maker’s Mark® an extra nine weeks in barrels containing those 10 staves. And when the time is finally up, it goes into bottles and makes its way to you.
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Maker’s Mark® Private Selection: Melted Mocha Our Mocha stave has been a longtime favorite of many Private Selection participants over the years. But with this bottle comes the end of an era. The stave is finally retiring, but not without leaving behind something special in Maker’s Mark® Melted Mocha. For this expression, expect a bold nose – with Mocha’s staple dark chocolate and espresso notes – followed by a long, dry finish. And then expect a follow-up sip of Maker’s Mark® Rich Mendiant – purely for research reasons, of course. STAVES: Cu – 2, 46 – 2, Mo – 6
AROMA: Bold, Tobacco, Raisins
TASTE: Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Espresso
FINISH: Long, Smoky, Dry
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Maker’s Mark® Private Selection: Rich Mendiant Exit Mocha. Enter Mendiant. We couldn’t say goodbye to a stave without having one that’s just as remarkable ready to take its place. This expression was made just like Melted Mocha, except we swapped Mocha for our new Mendiant stave. Named after the traditional French confection, it imparts all the notes you’d expect. As you taste, you’ll get hints of almond, craisins and, yes, the all-important chocolate note. While you’re at it, say cheers to the many expressions Mocha brought and again to all the new ones Mendiant will soon make.
STAVES: Cu – 2, 46 – 2, Mn – 6
AROMA: Soft, Dried Fruit, Caramel
TASTE: Almonds, Craisins, Citrus Zest, Milk Chocolate
FINISH: Long, Baking Spices, Dry Finish PG
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We’ve put together a selection of cocktails that pair perfectly with the unique taste profiles of the included expressions. Use these to impress your friends or your palate. (Or both.)
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Maker’s Mark® Private Selection: Melted Mocha
TASTE PROFILE: Expect a bold nose, with hints of dark chocolate and espresso and a long, dry finish. INGREDIENTS: 2 parts Maker’s Mark® Private Selection Bourbon: Melted Mocha 1/2 part coffee liqueur 2 dashes orange bitters Orange peel for garnish METHOD: Fill a mixing glass with cubed ice. Add Maker’s Mark® Melted Mocha, coffee liqueur and orange bitters. Stir for 10–12 seconds. Single strain into chilled coupette glass. Garnish with an orange peel and serve.
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Flavor: Explosion of dark chocolate and coffee notes complemented by orange oils from the peel.
Maker’s Mark® Private Selection: Rich Mendiant
TASTE PROFILE: Look forward to aromas featuring dried fruit and flavors including citrus and milk chocolate, followed by a long finish with baking spices to the fore. INGREDIENTS: 2 parts Maker’s Mark® Private Selection Bourbon: Rich Mendiant 1 part Dolin® Blanc Vermouth de Chambery 1 dash Angostura® Aromatic Bitters Lemon peel for garnish METHOD: Fill a mixing glass with cubed ice. Add Maker’s Mark® Rich Mendiant, vermouth and bitters. Stir for 10–12 seconds. Single strain into chilled coupette glass. Garnish with a lemon peel and serve.
Flavor: Citrus and milk chocolate notes with a dry fruit finish.
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Bettering bourbon and all it touches. All those years ago, our founders set out to create a better bourbon. A bourbon that was not only better than the old family recipe, but that also had a leg up on all the other existing bourbons at the time. That meant fundamentally doing things differently – a philosophy that has stuck with us. We’re always looking to make things better, not only with our bourbon but also by bettering our communities and our impact on the environment. And that last one is important.
We make bourbon, but nature hands us the pieces. So, sustainability doesn’t take a backseat, and it’s never an afterthought. Instead, it’s the lens we look through. We wanted to build a cellar to finish our bourbon, so we made it one worthy of LEED certification. We needed vehicles for our touring programs, so we sourced electric vehicles with solar panels. Those are two examples among many, and we continue to set new sustainability goals anywhere we can. Because we know a better environment leads to a better bourbon, which hopefully makes for even better moments.
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WE MAKE OUR BOURBON CAREFULLY. PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY. Maker’s Mark® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky Barrel Finished with 10 Virgin Oak Staves, 50%-60% Alc./Vol. ©2021 Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc. Loretto, KY