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MAKER'S MARK Loretto, KY Maker's Mark is a household name, and a staple for bars and enthusiasts looking to have an affordable, yet solid, bourbon pick on their shelves. However, Maker's Mark has earned their claim to the limited shelf-space enthusiasts the world over carefully ration for bottles that meet their often lofty standards. Maker's Mark's saga began in 1953 with sixth-generation distiller Bill Samuels, Sr. trying to replicate his family's 170year-old recipe. However, after a fire burned both the recipe and his drapes while experimenting, he had to try and make something all his own. While he was in the planning phase of opening his own distillery, time and resources were limited.
The distiller put together seven potential mash bills, and baked them into bread loaves and judged which mash bill to use based on the taste of the bread rather than waiting years for each to age and sample. The recipe with no rye was judged the best tasting, and thus was born the base of what we now enjoy as Maker's Mark. Their signature mash is 70% corn, 16% red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley. This use of wheat and lack of rye made the pour more mellow, which exactly what Bill Samuels, Sr. set out to do. He famously said "give me a bourbon that won't blow my ears off." He purchased "Burk's Distillery" on October 1, 1953 and went to work.
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