Time to take a look at America's contribution to the whiskey community - bourbon. Bourbon is America's only native spirit and the regulations on American bourbon make it quite different than the other whiskey available on the market. Bourbon must be aged in new charred-oak barrels, those barrels cannot be re-used in the U.S. and are shipped overseas where they are used in the production of Irish whiskey and scotch. Bourbon does not have a specific aging requirement, there are bourbons for sale that have been aged as few as three months. For a bourbon to be called straight bourbon, it must meet these and several other requirements, but also have been aged for over 2 years, and must be labeled with the age of the whiskey if it is aged for a period less than four years Blended bourbon may contain other ingredients but absolutely must contain at least 51% straight bourbon. Pretty particular for what started out as backwood moonshine, although the true history of bourbon is somewhat fuzzy.
97% of all bourbon is distilled in Kentucky and today's whiskey, Makers Mark, runs with the pack. Makers Mark, aged between 5.75 and 6.5 years has a distinctive appearance, it is easy to spot on the shelf because of the traditional wax-dipped bottle (Makers Mark actually holds a trademark on this appearance and it has been in use since the first bottle of Makers was produced in 1958). Relatively easy to find and affordable, it is not very difficult to get your hand wrapped around a glass of Makers.
I was pretty familiar with Makers going into my tasting for the review. Years ago, when I had made the decision to learn about scotch, I started my journey into whiskey appreciation with Makers on the rocks, eventually working my way to Makers (and other bourbon) neat, on to Irish whiskey neat, and eventually scotch whisky. We have a history. For the sake of a pure review, I put all of that aside to focus solely on the glass of whiskey in front of me.
The nose of my Makers was pleasant, it had that typical bourbon scent of cornbread mixed with caramel. The alcohol burn in my nostrils was minimal (something that is most definitely not true for all bourbon), but it did have some heat to it, something I could imagine might get in the way of wanting to try it for the first time. The mouth feel was great; it was a thick whiskey, apparent by the mouth feel but also by the legs on the glass as I swirled my whiskey about. The color of the whiskey was a deep gold, giving it that classic 'bourbon look'. I could feel it open my taste buds, encouraging further tasting. There was not much of a burn in my throat and mouth, earning a tip of the hat; there are many bourbons which, when sampled, create a false feeling of heat in the mouth and throat, some to an extent where one might immediately feel the need to exhale loudly, that can be an awkward moment depending on the setting. The aftertaste was pleasant as well, but relatively short-term.
Rating: 3.5 out of a possible 5 casks
Reason: A good whiskey. The nose was decent, the minimal alcohol burn was a plus, but it was still obviously present. I enjoyed the thickness of the whiskey but the taste, although good, lacked the smoothness that would have earned it a higher score. A nice aftertaste, but fleeting. I would still recommend it as an inexpensive way to upgrade your bar whiskey, compared to other bourbon in the same price range it is worthy of recognition. Cost is usually about $5-$7 a glass, around $30-$35 for a bottle.
Happy tasting,
Charles
***Authors note - On February 9th, 2013, Makers Mark made an announcement that, due to supply issues, they were going to begin watering-down their whiskey from 90-proof to 84 proof. I personally find that to be a rather insignificant change, so I won't be participating in the pitchfork-wielding mob that is likely to descend upon the distillery.
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