 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
BOURBONRead through our expert's answers to some of the most commonly asked questions...
|
|||||||||||
HOSTED BY Bourbon expert: Rob Samuels ( |
||
|
EXPERT SECTIONSGot a Question? Ask our experts... |
|
 |
||
Required to utilize a minimum of 51% corn in the mash bill
Maker’s Mark utilizes 70% corn, 14% malt and 16% soft red winter wheat, as opposed to the traditional rye flavoring grain. The easiest way to think about the influence that the very expensive, delicate winter wheat has on the taste profile of Maker’s Mark is to compare wheat and rye bread. Rye is a little abrasive on the pallet, with spice and traces of bitterness. Wheat is very soft, delicate and balanced. My grandfather, T.W. Samuels, Sr., when creating Maker’s Mark, set out to craft bourbon in small quantities that was hand-made with no bitter taste.
Required by U.S. law to distill at no more than 160 proof or 80% alc. volume
Several distilleries elect to distill very high so when they add water before the whisky enters the barrel and before bottling, their supply goes farther. The higher whisky or bourbon is distilled, the more flavor is lost. Conversely, the lower distilled the more flavor retained.
About the aging process…
Required to use the oak charred barrel only once
Bourbon makers, by U.S. law, are required to utilize a new, charred, white-oak barrel for each batch. Most bourbon distilleries ,after utilizing the barrel once, sell their barrels to various single-malt scotch distilleries.
Bourbon is required by law to age for a minimum of two years in a new, charred white oak barrel.
Any bourbon that is younger than four years old is required to have an age statement.
Maker’s Mark on average is six years old—it has never been younger than five years and nine months or older than six years and nine months. The tasting panel (six women and five men) decide when each batch of 19 barrels is fully mature. Maker’s Mark bottles to taste.
Q: I like bourbon and want a good drink recipe that I can serve in a pitcher at a summer party. Any suggestions?
I recommend the Maker’s Mark Just Peachy and the Maker’s Mark Summer Breeze….Enjoy!
Let me know what you think: I'm at Rob.Samuels@makersmark.com..
Maker’s Mark Just Peachy
Ingredients:
12 parts Maker’s Mark
6 parts Peach Schnapps
Splash of freshly squeezed orange juice
Orange slice
Fill pitcher half full of ice; add 12 parts Maker’s Mark, 6 part Peach Schnapps and splash of orange juice. Garnish with orange slice.
Maker’s Mark Summer Breeze
Ingredients:
12 parts. Maker’s Mark
2 part Orange liqueur
2 part Ginger ale
Decorate each glass with an orange wedge just before serving.
Q: I work in a small bar and have had a few customers ask about “Small batch” bourbons. What are they?
There really is not a technical definition for “Small Batch” bourbons. I interpret literally,“bourbons that are produced in small batches.”
The average batch size for the average distillery in the U.S. is over 200 barrels per batch.
My grandfather thought that if he were to guide a smaller amount of bourbon through each and every step of the process that it would likely influence the overall taste profile that he was searching for, which was front of pallet/sweet versus harsh and bitter.
Maker’s Mark is produced in the smallest quantity of any Bourbon—just below 19 barrels per batch.
Q: Some of my friends like bourbon, but I find it harsh. Do you have any recipes or serving ideas on how I can start to appreciate bourbon?
The Samuels Family has produced whisky for nearly 500 years. First in Scotland (Scotch whisky) in the 1500s, and then Pennsylvania, and later in Kentucky when my namesake, Robert Samuels, moved South and settled in what became Samuels Deport, Kentucky.
In the early days the distillers of American whisky were exclusively focused on producing quantity – the whisky of the early days was a perfect match for the harsh times…
My grandfather decided to sell the family distillery, T.W. Samuels Whisky, after inheriting the family distillery. He wanted to find his passion. His goal was to create fine bourbon—the "cognac" of American whisky.
His creation, Maker’s Mark, was made for consumers who didn’t like the traditional taste profile of American whisky.
My recommendation would be that you start with a glass full of ice, Pour 2 oz. of Maker’s Mark and an equal match of water. Little sips off the front of the pallet will deliver a completely new world of bourbon whisky!
Maker’s Mark is sweet versus bitter – front of pallet versus back – a very different taste profile than any other bourbon whisky.
If you are interested in a cocktail I recommend Maker’s Mark with a splash of ginger ale, or the Summer Breeze.
Q: Is Jack Daniels bourbon? I was told it’s a Tennessee whisky – what’s the difference?
Jack Daniels is a Tennessee Whisky/American Whisky (not bourbon). Jack Daniels uses a charcoal mellowing process—the technical distilling term is "leaching process."
Each drop of Jack Daniels seeps through a filter that is created by burnt maple chips. The filter or the charcoal mellowing process extracts impurities/negative taste but the process also takes out the “good.”.
Jack Daniels in my opinion is not a bad whisky, especially for folks who are interested in exploring complex whisky with substance.
|
 
 |
