This isn't really a review of Maker's Mark Whisky. At least not one that you would be likely to find on most bourbon or whiskey blogs. I'm really just not a great writer, and I don't have the flavor-description training or vocabulary. But I try to talk about what I love. As some, if not many of you all know, Maker's Mark had a recent public affairs nightmare. Due to many factors, some not under Maker's Mark distillery's control, they decided to continue bottling Maker's Mark at a lower alcohol percentage, and subsequently announced it to the public, because they didn't want people to think that they were just trying to screw them by making more money and giving them less product. Long story short, people were furious, and they changed their minds. The photo above, left, shows an even more abridged version of the story (actually I think that's as short as you can make it!). I borrowed it from this blog, http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com, and particularly an article that talks directly about the situation. The blog seems to be run by a liquor store, and, according to this article, they are trying to sell the 42% bourbon that Maker's Mark released for a short time for only $5!Now here's the thing: you guys have your own opinion about Maker's Mark, but I think they handled the whole situation with flying colors. They had lots of options, some of which were to do the same thing but NOT tell the public upfront, to continue raising the price of their product until the demand shrank to meet their current supply, or just allow shortages of their delicious, sweet wheat-instead-of-rye-fermented whiskey. It really wasn't a bad idea, and they had many taste-testers claim that they couldn't tell a difference.
This photo is one of Maker's Mark's official ads, and it reaffirms their attitude throughout this ordeal. They didn't want to take less-aged whiskey to the bottle early, because that's not the same thing they always bottle. They also didn't raise the price, because they believe their bourbon should be enjoyed by the most amount of people possible, and in order to do that, it has to remain somewhat affordable.
For the record, I tried both bourbons, side-by-side, and although it wasn't a blind taste-test, I could tell a slightly-less-full flavor on the 42%. I would still say it matched the flavor profile, but I wasn't happy with it. I am definitely grateful they went back, and I would have eventually stopped drinking it if it was a permanent move. What do you guys think? Have you tried it? I always look at the red-waxed bottles in liquor stores even if I'm not buying, just to see if they are the temporary 42% or a full 45%.
For the record, I tried both bourbons, side-by-side, and although it wasn't a blind taste-test, I could tell a slightly-less-full flavor on the 42%. I would still say it matched the flavor profile, but I wasn't happy with it. I am definitely grateful they went back, and I would have eventually stopped drinking it if it was a permanent move. What do you guys think? Have you tried it? I always look at the red-waxed bottles in liquor stores even if I'm not buying, just to see if they are the temporary 42% or a full 45%.
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