Saturday night I had the chance to try the new experimental "bourbon" from Maker's Mark. Bill Samuels sent Susan Reigler a sample bottle because he wanted us (Susan and myself) to try it and make comments before they consider making it available to the public. I met Susan at the Bourbon's Bistro and we tried the whiskey in Glencairn glasses with a glass of normal Maker's Mark as a control sample.
The new experimental product is a higher proof (94 or 96, I forget which) and is described as being finished with will charred barrel staves added to the barrel. It was described to Susan as the Maker's is fully aged and dumped. Blister charred barrel staves are added to the inside of the barrel and the Maker's is returned to the barrel. They are basically adding wood chipps to the product. They are looking for an more economical way to add age to their bourbon.
My notes on the product are as follows:
Color: not much difference. The new product might be slightly darker, but it is still the light honey amber color of Makers.
Nose: The new expression has more nose than the normal makers. It has more oak and after sitting for a few minutes it even brought out some nice creme brule' burnt sugar aromas.
Taste: Makers with bitter oak tannins. This product is not as bad as most wood chipped products, but that is probably because the bourbon was "fully matured" Maker's to start with and not new make whiskey. The wood chips added oak tannins that made it taste slightly bitter. I added 5 drops of water to about a 1/2 ounce and it became even more bitter.
Finish: The finish was very dry oak that became very bitter and unpleasant after adding water. The only way to get rid of the bitter oak was to drink the control sample of Maker's.
Notes: I hope Maker's does not release this. At onbe time Maker's deserved every bit of the fine reputation they have for making bourbon. If they want that reputation to grow, this is not the way to do it. They should go back to aging some older bourbon and bottling at 101 proof with a gold wax bottle. That product would show the world what Maker's is suppose to be about.