I'm glad MM is coming out with something new, especially after all those years when they assured us that a different expression would be blasphemy. But this video is notable for how little information it provides about the new product. What if these guys just said that they took regular MM, replaced some of the barrel staves with toasted ones (if that is what they did) and re-barreled the whiskey for such and such a time?
And then there is the dig about other distillers offering older and higher proof products ("the easy way"). My guess is that MM is making a virtue of necessity. I suspect that the suits in Deerfield passed down the word that a brand extension was going to happen. But MM doesn't have older juice, so the stave trick was invented. Nonetheless, I do applaud MM for trying something different. Yes, we asked for it, and I'd love to try it.
If the new MM is really, really good, then that says it all. Kudos to MM, and everyone should be pleased. There is simply no argument against a really, really good bourbon.
You should come take the free Maker's Mark Distillery and Kentucky Cooperage (bourbon barrel-making factory) tours. MM is located just outside downtown Lebanon, Ky. and the cooperage is right on Main Street, along with The Oak Barrel restaurant - a great Bourbon Country experience! You can enter the Heart of Kentucky Bourbon & Barrels Getaway giveaway at www.VisitLebanonKy.com. The drawing is tonight, April 2. No purchase necessary.
I am really curious on the R&D aspect of the whiskey business. A 3-4 year aging process surely has to be dealt with. Smaller barrels? Special techniques to force the breathing of the liquid and wood? Maybe the R&D is focused on the modernizing the process and not the product. Any way to have a series of posts on the subject?
Brad is president of Independent Stave, who worked with MM on the science of toasting/searing/charring the wood used to "finish" the whisk(e)y.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad MM is coming out with something new, especially after all those years when they assured us that a different expression would be blasphemy. But this video is notable for how little information it provides about the new product. What if these guys just said that they took regular MM, replaced some of the barrel staves with toasted ones (if that is what they did) and re-barreled the whiskey for such and such a time?
ReplyDeleteAnd then there is the dig about other distillers offering older and higher proof products ("the easy way"). My guess is that MM is making a virtue of necessity. I suspect that the suits in Deerfield passed down the word that a brand extension was going to happen. But MM doesn't have older juice, so the stave trick was invented. Nonetheless, I do applaud MM for trying something different. Yes, we asked for it, and I'd love to try it.
If the new MM is really, really good, then that says it all. Kudos to MM, and everyone should be pleased. There is simply no argument against a really, really good bourbon.
ReplyDeleteYou should come take the free Maker's Mark Distillery and Kentucky Cooperage (bourbon barrel-making factory) tours. MM is located just outside downtown Lebanon, Ky. and the cooperage is right on Main Street, along with The Oak Barrel restaurant - a great Bourbon Country experience! You can enter the Heart of Kentucky Bourbon & Barrels Getaway giveaway at www.VisitLebanonKy.com. The drawing is tonight, April 2. No purchase necessary.
ReplyDeleteI am really curious on the R&D aspect of the whiskey business. A 3-4 year aging process surely has to be dealt with. Smaller barrels? Special techniques to force the breathing of the liquid and wood? Maybe the R&D is focused on the modernizing the process and not the product. Any way to have a series of posts on the subject?
ReplyDelete