A National Historic Landmark, Maker’s Mark is the oldest operating bourbon whisky distillery, originally built in 1806. Their history goes back in the Samuels family to 1780, and their first brand of bourbon was created in 1840. (They are from Scotland, where whisky is spelled without an E.) But when the secret recipe was handed down to the seventh generation in the early 1950s, Bill Samuels, Sr. threw the recipe away, deciding he wasn’t interested in selling "pedestrian" whisky (or as his mother called it "the stuff that could blow your ears off"). He began experimenting in hopes the new recipe was going to be unlike any other. And so it was. It was based on 70% locally grown corn, 16% soft red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley. What distinguished this bourbon is that wheat replaced the traditional rye, producing a much gentler taste. Even today, Maker’s Mark bourbon is still made by hand.
In the first building we began with the roller mill where they crush the grain. It is then cooked in an open cooker. For fermentation, they still use some Cyprus vats, along with stainless steel. You see these huge batches bubbling, which is kind of neat but gross at the same time. The smell is pretty overwhelming, so be prepared. The bourbon is then double distilled and brought to a proof of 120 and 130. The grain that is leftover after fermentation is picked up by farmers to be used for feed. I was assured that this feed doesn’t produce any drunken cows.
Charred white oak barrels are used for the aging process in the barrel warehouse. The charring adds caramel flavor and an amber color. The barrels are hand-rotated to take advantage of temperature changes in the building. No other distiller does this. They are held for 6 years and are sampled throughout the aging process.
In the final building you observe the bottles being filled, capped, and labeled. Before they are boxed and shipped, employees complete the most important and distinguishing step—hand-dipping the red wax seal on the bottle. This was a neat process to witness, as they do it rather quickly. Once in a while they will do a "slam dunk," where they dip the bottle into wax all the way to the label. These rare bottles will arrive as a surprise to the retailer.
At the gift shop you can purchase a small bottle for $13 and dip the seal yourself. You must be 21 years old, and it is not available on Sundays. Tours are given on the half hour from 10:30am to 3:30pm Monday through Saturday. Call in advance for limited Sunday tours. I was the only visitor for that tour, although they get around 30 to 40 per tour on the weekends. Maker’s Mark is in Loretto, about a 25-minute drive south from downtown Bardstown. The drive is beautiful along very windy and hilly roads.