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
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! 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃
Looks like a lot of fun! Maker's Mark is always a great choice
ReplyDeleteYes 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.
ReplyDeleteHaven't been on one of those places but looks like i should now , thanks for the info and the pics.
ReplyDeleteThanks 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.
DeleteLooks 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.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you almost found the real happiness ;-)
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.
DeleteThe 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!
ReplyDeleteThanks 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.
DeleteAmong 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks 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.
DeleteGreat 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 :))
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely 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.
DeleteAll 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!!!
ReplyDeleteWow 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!
DeleteGreat 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.
ReplyDeleteSway...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.
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