Thursday, January 10, 2019

Kentucy Maker's Mark Distillery Tour and Maker's 46 review

Today, I present you a visual journey to Maker's Mark Distillery tour in Loretto,Kentucy. A tour that I took with my colleagues after months of planning and some roadblocks we finally made it there on Oct 13, 2018. It is and always will be a special tour for all of us being whisky connoisseurs as we ended up having a genuinely fun and adventurous experience.   
Without further ado, I will let the pictures do the talking along with some description so you can follow along 😃.

Tour and Tasting info 
Distillery- Maker's Mark
Ticket price- $14 for general distillery tour( includes whisky tastings )
Location- Loretto,KY
Getting there:  It is an hour drive from Louisville International Airport(SDF)
Please refer to  Maker's Mark Website for more info on different types of whisky tours and times.

Friends kick starting the journey in the plane with some Woodford Reserve! After all it is a whisky distillery tour! 😃

The Louisville,KY airport does not shy away from displaying and selling its finest bourbons.

I myself couldn't shy away from the visual feast..Happy and excited 😃 for our first distillery visit ever!

There is a Bourbon academy? 😕 ..no wonder!

Irish coffee with guess what ? Yes bourbon

Stopped by Down Home BBQ recommended by staff at the Bourbon academy.

Had this delicious Baby back ribs bbq, baked beans with Mac & Cheese. Our hungry bodies devoured every bite of it before our whisky tasting tour.

Entrance of the Maker's Mark has breathtaking landscape and beautifully maintained garden 

Visitors information center and tours starting point

The squad from left Mark, myself Sajag(SJ), Brian and Felipe


A picture in front of their finest selection

Maker's Mark whiskey on display

The tour starts here 


Got the ticket and ready to roll!

Everything looks so amazing in this place

This is the building where the the magic happens

Our tour guide(forgot her name) was friendly and very knowledgeable 


Large Copper stills where the real work of whisky making is in progress


Cart with Maker's Mark barrels 

The printing press where the bottle labels are printed

Notice the whisky bottle shaped carvings


Maker's 46 barrels are matured here

Learned from our tour guide that the flavor of Maker's 46 comes from these Oak staves

Barrels of Maker's Mark Whisky during its maturing process






Could not help but notice the stunning ceiling leading to the gift shop 

Because one picture couldn't capture its beauty
Finally in the tasting room

From left to right Maker's Mark White(moonshine), Regular Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, Maker's Mark Cask Strength, Maker's Mark Private Select


Before dipping the bottles

Dipping in progress

Freshly dipped makers 46. I will be reviewing this at the end

One more

 Barely tipsy but highly satisfied customers 😃


Back at the hotel,we had to toast for a fine trip and plan for the next one. Thank you gentlemen..it would not have been possible without your company..Cheers! 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

Got a barrel in my name. A perk offered for anyone who signs up as their ambassador. Once it is matured in five years, it is available for purchase. Very easy to signup in their website. 

Even though we sampled five different kinds of Maker's Mark whisky, I choose Maker's 46 Kentucky Bourbon Whisky for the purpose of today's review.  The plan is to eventually review all of them in the upcoming blogs. We were fortunate enough to see how this whiskey is made right before drinking.Our tour guide explained to us that this was basically their standard whiskey with added spice. The added spice comes from the seared French Oak Staves which are inserted into the barrels (see picture to the right). Also the name Maker's 46 came from stave profile "number 46". After several trial and errors this profile was the one the master distillers were looking for and its absolutely stunning.



Vital Stats
Maker's 46 Kentucky Bourbon Whisky
Price- $30 for 750ml ( The one pictured is $50 since I hand dipped it myself at the distillery)
From- Kentucky, USA
Awards won- Liquid gold award 2014, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible

Tasting info
Serving glass- Regular whiskey glass(provided during our tasting )
Serving style- Neat
Appearance- Dark amber
Aroma- Fresh smell of honey, caramel, toffee. Friends identified toasty aroma of spices and wood
Flavor- Explodes with flavor of all kinds of spices especially cinnamon. We also got a hint of nutmeg and dark chocolate
Finish- Smooth and long finish. Taste lingers in mouth for a while.

SJ's rating- Top Shelf 
It would be absolutely unfair to place this whiskey anywhere else than the top shelf where it is meant to be. It is an easy to drink bourbon and the sweet and spicy flavor will definitely please your taste buds. 
Thank you all and hope you enjoyed this picturesque journey and the whisky review. If you have visited the Maker's Mark distillery or tasted their fine whisky or both, please share your experiences in the comments below. 
Cheers! 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃

16 comments:

  1. Looks like a lot of fun! Maker's Mark is always a great choice

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes it was a tour of a lifetime..very fun and full of adventures. Makers Mark 46 is an awesome bourbon and am glad you like it as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Haven't been on one of those places but looks like i should now , thanks for the info and the pics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ashesh. I am glad you liked the blog about Makers Mark and that it provide some valuable information.Yes it is a one of a time experience and I would recommend it to anyone not just whisky lovers to visit it.

      Delete
  4. Looks like an awesome tour for bourbon lovers. I can see why more people need to go such distillery and admire the work that had been put to make a product. Nice pics for over view to people who one day might take a tour.

    It looks like you almost found the real happiness ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a great place for bourbon lovers and anyone in general to visit because of its breathtaking landscape. There is a certain magic going on with this place. Yes you should visit it when you get a chance.

      Delete
  5. The handsome guy in the button down blue shirt, glasses, seems to be enjoying himself a little too much. The Makers Mark brand lit up his face like a XMAS tree, forming a permanent grin. I enjoyed seeing his elation, we need more of him on the blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for you comments. Great to see you enjoy our tour. Yes that is Brian in the blue shirt, he was happy to be there and so were the rest of the crew. Its a great place highly recommended.

      Delete
  6. Among the very few bourbons I know, Maker's Mark is my preferred one. The pictures say it all, you had loads of fun. I enjoyed reading this, it was very informative.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing your experience with Makers Mark. It is one of my go to bourbons and I am a Scotch guy. I am glad you enjoyed reading it and found some value from the information.

      Delete
  7. Great read SJ. After reading this, I can't wait to go to Loretto, KY. Looking forward to more blogs on other whiskeys (and distilleries as well :))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely Sonam, it is a trip worthwhile. I can't wait to visit other diarilleries around the world and share my experiences here in my blog. Thanks and I am glad you enjoyed reading it.

      Delete
  8. All I can say is WOW! What a great trip! A band of brothers in uncharted territory, tearing down cultural barriers, drawn together by a common bond.....a quest for fine Bourbon! We would be remiss If we did not mention our wonderful hosts at the BBQ place. They steered us in the right direction on the menu and genuinely treated us like gold! The MM tour was simply awesome. And the 7 bottles of hand dipped souvenir booze we "shipped" home all arrived intact! On to a new destination!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow BA your words inspire me to go on many other trips with you guys. It was absolutely an adventurous tour that is why its legend has to live on in my blog for generations to see :-). Yes everything worked together the way it planned the food, drive to Loretto,KY and our precious liquid arriving safe back home in Texas. Looking forward for our next trip to another distillery. Cheers!

      Delete
  9. Great write up, SJ! You look like a kid in the candy store @ that Distillery. Very fortunate. You guys went to the Mecca of bourbon and I am very jealous! Love Makers Mark and it is my go-to bourbon anyday. Enjoyed reading this, keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sway...yes it is a must visit for bourbon lovers. The Makers Mark Distillery is located in a beautiful location and its a magical world out there. Kind of like Disney world for adults. Apart from the regular Makers Mark I highly recommend Makers 46 which is my best among their bourbons.

      Delete

Your comments