THE WHISKY DROP BY
spring 2021 Our second drop is finally in your hands (or perhaps your glass already). What does that mean exactly? Well, you’re now the proud owner of a bottle of Maker’s Mark® Roasted French Mocha and Maker’s Mark® 2020 Spring Distillery Release. By the way, having both puts you in a pretty exclusive club. Enjoy them. And if this your first drop, welcome!
If you want to add to the occasion by mixing a drink or learning a little about your bottles, read on. We’ve given you a couple cocktail recipes, some details about your bottles and a brief look into the sustainability efforts surrounding the creation of our bourbon.
Cheers, The Whisky Drop Team at Maker’s Mark
makersmark.com WE MAKE OUR BOURBON CAREFULLY. PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY. Maker’s Mark® Wood Finishing Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, 55.35% Alc./Vol. ©2021 Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc. Loretto, KY
PG
1
From start to wood finishing.
The Maker’s Mark® Wood Finishing Series is our way of making purposeful and flavorful variations of our classic bourbon. It all begins with 10 virgin oak staves that are tweaked by cooking and seasoning the wood to draw out certain flavor characteristics of our founder’s taste vision. Each stave is then placed into a barrel of fully matured Maker’s Mark® at cask strength, where it sits in our limestone cellar till the exact day we deem it perfect. From there, it’s on to one of the best parts – sharing it with the world. (And in this case, sending it directly to your door.)
PG
2
Roasted French Mocha Our Roasted French Mocha stave has been a part of countless Private Selection expressions. But it’s time to finally retire the stave to make way for something new. That makes this expression particularly special – it’s our first release from the distillery exclusively using the Roasted French Mocha stave. You can expect to enjoy a darker, bittersweet chocolate with a dry, coffee-like finish. Just remember, once it’s gone, it’s gone. Sip accordingly. PG
3
2020 Spring Distillery Release In the process of discovering a new stave to supersede Roasted French Mocha, we happened upon sort of a brilliant mistake. It wasn’t quite what we were looking for, but we thought it was definitely worth sharing as the 2020 Spring Distillery Release. Unfortunately, our guest list was quite small. While we missed having people visit the distillery, we’re happy to be able share a bottle with you now. In contrast to the first expression, this one brings forward strong notes of caramel and baking spices, with a milk-chocolate/hazelnut finish. Feel free to try the two expressions side by side. You certainly won’t regret it. PG
4
We’ve put together a selection of cocktails that pair perfectly with the unique taste profiles of your Whisky Drop expressions. Use these to impress your friends or your palate. (Or both.) PG
5
Roasted French Mocha
TASTE PROFILE: Light and refreshing. Think chocolate and dark fruit notes. The sweet bourbon and dry tonic profile work wonderfully together. INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 parts Maker’s Mark® Roasted French Mocha 1/2 part sweet vermouth 1/2 part honey water* Dash of walnut bitters Orange zest for garnish METHOD: Stir all ingredients with cubed ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with orange zest and serve.
PG
6
*Honey water: Mix two parts honey to one part hot water. Stir until dissolved.
2020 Spring Distillery Release
TASTE PROFILE: Think cured tobacco, coffee and bitter chocolate notes, complemented by light orange oils. INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 parts Maker’s Mark® 2020 Spring Distillery Release Dash of chocolate bitters Chilled tonic water Orange peel studded with two cloves for garnish METHOD: Build in a tall glass over cubed ice. Add bourbon and chocolate bitters and top with chilled tonic water. Stir, garnish with an orange peel studded with two cloves and serve.
PG
7
You may have heard us say, “bourbon is nature distilled.” We truly mean it. When you think about the process of making bourbon, it’s abundantly clear the direct ties we have to water, wood, grains and everything in the larger ecosystem. Without nature, Maker’s Mark® – or any other bourbon, really – wouldn’t exist. So, we owe it to the environment to promise continued environmental sustainability in all aspects of what we do.
That promise started with water by creating a protected sanctuary for an entire watershed. This is the source of every drop of Maker’s Mark®. Since then, we’ve worked to restore native species, while simultaneously eliminating invasive ones. We’ve set aside areas for at-risk pollinators and wildlife. Our warehouse complex generates its own solar power, reducing overall emissions. Plots of land we’ve set aside bring farm-to-table ingredients to Star Hill Provisions®. We’ve partnered with researchers doing groundbreaking work around the American white oak tree – ensuring the long-term health of the species. And we were awarded a LEED certification for our limestone cellar – the gold standard in environmental design and operations.
Despite all these efforts, we’re still proudly searching for even more. Because each one will help us distill nature for many years to come.
PG
8
Distillery sustainability
Giving back to the environment that gives us bourbon.