I must start this post with a confession…I have never been a devotee of Maker’s Mark. It isn’t that I had anything against the classic Kentucky Bourbon, it simply seemed ‘pedestrian’.
My attitude has changed.
Joy and I had the opportunity to listen to (enjoy being the more operative word) a conversation with Bill Samuels Jr., son of T. Williams “Bill” Samuels Sr., who purchased the distillery that would become Maker’s Mark for $35,000 in 1953. Marker’s Mark has changed hands multiple times…initially to Hiram Walker in 1981 and most recently in 2014 to Beam Suntory (along with Jim Beam for $16 Billion).
Although the distillery is no longer family owned, it is family managed. Bill Samuels, Jr., managed production until 2011 when his son took control, and now travels telling a compelling tale of Maker’s Mark and the development of the American fine Bourbon industry. Bill Jr. suggests that until the early 1950s only those who produced American Bourbon were willing to consume it. Kentucky Bourbon was essentially undrinkable. Bill Samuels, Sr. wanted to make a Bourbon that tasted good. And, while the project started as a hobby, the result was the modern Kentucky Bourbon industry.
The process began with understanding how we taste, and how best to move the initial impact from the back of the palate to the front. The goal was to accentuate the flavor profile and reduce the alcohol burn.
Bill, Jr.’s mother supported the process by baking bread from grain options to clarify the best mashbill, and by experimenting with a process to create the iconic wax sealed cap. The development of that wax seal cost the Russel family $20.
The bread proved that a blend of 70% corn, a little barley, and Red Winter Wheat would be ideal. Maker’s Mark does not use rye in its mashbill (unique among most Bourbon producers). And, while the copyrighted font on the Maker’s Mark label and the wax seal were wonderful marketing tools, ultimately 3M was engaged to develop a process for safely removing that wax. Maker’s Mark, along with George Dickel and Old Forester, are the only distillers to identify its product using the Scottish term ‘whisky’.
The Samuel family determined that ‘cooking’ each of the grains separately would maximize the flavor package. Maker’s Mark also moves barrels within the rickhouse (warehouse for whiskey aging). Most distillers do not move barrels once they are in place and blend barrels from various locations in the rickhouse to create the final (or consistent) flavor profile for a particular whiskey. Maker’s Mark want the flavor profile created in the barrel.
Bill, Jr. says that between 1945 and 1995 there was a single Bourbon startup…Maker’s Mark. Since 1995 there have been 2100. Most of these new distillers claim to be ‘small batch’ producers. Interestingly, Marker’s Mark continues to identify itself as a small batch producer and offers as a definition that the bottles should come from 1,000 gallons (20 barrels) or less, and from a single mashbill. They are passionate in their belief that a distilleries size should not dictate its status as a small batch producer.
Bill Samuels, Jr. is now in his 80s and he retired from the day to day operations of Maker’s Mark in 2011. After starting his professional life as an aerospace engineer (as well as law school and a stint as a White House intern), Bill, Jr. spent 35 years growing Maker’s Mark into a world recognized brand. He turned the operation of the family ‘shop’ over to his son, Rob.
Rob was in charge when the distillery announced (via email) that it was reducing the ABV from 90 proof (45% ABV) to 84 proof (42% ABV). Retail customers (including those New Yorkers to whom I had sold whiskey for years) had such a strong negative reaction to the idea that Maker’s Mark reversed its decision. Bad initial decision…satisfactory response.
However, there was another ‘act’ in Bill, Jr’s Maker’s Mark experience. In 2015 he introduced the Private Select program. Retailers and distributors may choose barrel stave options to craft a flavor profile that they believe best satisfies the demands of their customers. I have had the opportunity to taste Chan’s Wine World Private Select…excellent. Look for Maker’s Mark Private Selection in stores near you.
Bill Samuel, Jr. is a wonderful storyteller, and he has been instrumental in shaping the modern distilling industry. It turns out that the whisky (honoring their spelling), is certainly not ‘pedestrian’.