Devil John Dark ‘shine
Made from the same recipe of corn and cane sugar, Devil John Darkshine adds a little extra twist upon the traditional mountain moonshine. Aged for ten months in small, once used charred oak bourbon barrels, this spirit also adds hints of caramel and vanilla that make for a smooth, refreshing finish. Darkshine may be sipped neat or on the rocks or in traditional Old Fashioned cocktails
Makers Mark Private Selection Review
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The Neat Drinkers Association was started by a group of guys in the Bay Area of California who wanted to help local bars and restaurants pick the best single barrels for their establishments. The team draws from a group of palates for every barrel pick, handles the sticker art that decorates each pick as well as showcases them on social media for other whiskey hunters to easily find.
This Makers Mark Private Select bottle is from the inaugural single barrel pick that the NDA did for Quality Bourbons & Barbecue in Palo Alto, CA and it would be sold to customers as well as poured from their bar.
Its All About The Wood
It seems that ISC has once again risen to the challenge of what Makers Mark envisioned for the 40 customers they chose to participate in the inaugural Makers Mark Private Select. Along with the seared French oak staves used for Makers 46, buyers of Private Select barrels can select up to four other staves to add different flavors to the overall taste of their barrel.
After the story of Makers 46 is explained to Private Select participants, they are educated about oak and where the flavor lives in the wood. Participants are given summaries on which flavors can be released based on the duration and temperate the staves are cooked for. Theyre also schooled on the physiological cell structure of oak and what chemical components can be altered when heat is applied to them.
Once the quick Oak 101 class is over it is the time the participants have been waiting for. In front of them is a tasting mat with six altered expressions of Makers Mark Cask Strength on it. There is the base product Makers Mark Cask Strength along with five other samples. The other five expressions were created by taking Makers Mark Cask Strength and finishing it with a bundle of different oak staves that were designed to amplify a particular flavor.
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About Blue Run Spirits
A nascent brand, Blue Run Spirits opened in October 2020. Since then, the Georgetown, Kentucky-based brand has launched 13 bourbon and rye whiskey releases, selling 21,000 9-liter cases in 2022. Currently a bottler, Blue Run plans to become a distiller by investing nearly $51 million in a 35,000-square-foot distillery and a 20,000-square-foot rickhouse in Georgetown, Kentucky. The company plans to break ground on the distillery this year.
Blue Runs whiskeys are crafted by former Four Roses master distiller Jim Rutledge, liquid advisor, and Wild Turkey alum Shaylyn Gammon, who serves as master blender for Blue Run.
Here at Whiskey Raiders, we do more than write about current events in Whiskey. We are the only media property reviewing whiskeys and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the whiskey world in one place. We also scour the internet daily in search of the best whiskey deals out there. If youre interested in having a great whiskey deal and the latest news and reviews delivered to your inbox each morning,
Makers Mark Private Select
When Makers started looking at doing a barrel selection program, they immediately ruled out the traditional system of having a buyer visit their distillery to taste several barrels and buy the one they enjoyed the most. Instead they opted to put together a program that allowed buyers to build their own unique barrel of Bourbon.
When we originally looked at doing a barrel selection program, we thought it seemed really boring, because everything we do is about making taste the same Bowie shares.
But, Makers had gained a significant amount of knowledge on how to manipulate their flagship product over the two years spent developing Makers 46. Several different oak staves were used while performing those 124 different experiments Bill Jr. and Smith conducted.
So, Makers decided to implement the lessons learned from Makers 46 to develop a barrel buying program that allows the buyer to craft their own barrel based on what flavors they choose to amplify. Again, Makers went to ISC and worked with them to develop other staves that could be used to tweak the flavor of regular Makers Mark.
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Review #107 Maker’s Mark Private Barrel Selection
Distillery: Maker’s Mark
Age: NAS
Mashbill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
BACKGROUND: Maker’s Mark private select series uses wood finished bourbons to make each barrel completely unique to the store. Maker’s Mark private barrel selects are bottled at cask strength after the whiskey ages with 10 custom wood finishing staves. After the whiskey is given the 10 custom wood finishes, it is then aged in a limestone cellar. The finishing staves can be any combination of five finishing options which allows for 1,001 possible stave combinations, each expression of Private Selection has a customized finish and taste profile that is unique. This is a private barrel selection from the Roosevelt Room in Austin, TX. The oak finishing staves are 2 Baked American Pure 2, 4 Seared French Cuvée, 1 Maker’s 46, 1 Roasted French Mocha, and 2 Toasted French Spice.
NOSE: The nose is very rich and sweet with delightful notes of rich caramel, cotton candy, sweet vanilla extract, cherries, maple, and toasted oak. The proof leaves a tingling sensation without going over the edge of burning. This is one of the best sweet noses I’ve ever smelt.
FINISH: The finish is very long with notes of toasted oak, chewy leather, tannins, and dried maple. It has a chewiness and fullness that warms you right up.
Overall: 90/100
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Weller Full Proof
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Old Fitzgerald 9 Year
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Larceny Barrel proof A121
Scoring Legend:
Makers Mark Private Selection Nicholas Barrel Reserve #3
$79.00
Its actually a very time consuming process that takes a lot of concentration & a very good palate. I would suggest never buying a Personal barrel of Makers unless your really trust the person thats blending that particular barrel. Some of my first blends in this process were just straight nasty.
But once I understood what each oak stave brought to the final blend I was able to zero in on what was IMHO the best Makers I ever tasted. I think I was blending and tasting for 3 hours and tried nearly 30 different blends.
That barrel sold out in 1 week. Makers asked me if I wanted to blend a 2nd barrel. I said no chance, that was as good as I could do, make the 2nd the exact same as the first. This is unique to Makers because if we blend the exact same way we can duplicate the barrel the same way a distillery gets a house style for their regular blend. As many of you experienced, that 2nd barrel tasted just like the 1st. We have been sold out of Makers NBR for 6 months. As you might guess, my 3rd barrel tastes just like barrels 1 & 2.
Stave Profile:
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Makers Mark Private Select Duo Greens Discount Beer And Wine And Wine Xpress
Color: Honey from summer berries to light amber for both picks
Greens Pick Nose: Hints of caramel, wheat, bread pudding with brown sugar or cinnamon roll
WineXpresss Pick Nose: Hints of sweetness in the form of light caramel and brown sugar but balanced with robust, rich dark chocolate.
Greens Pick Palate: Banana bread, clove, and cinnamon. Drinking this reminds me of all the desserts we love in the Fall with those robust, hearty spices. You get a balanced spice in the back of the palate.
WineXpresss Pick Palate: Light oakiness and wheat bread on the front of the palate then burnt butterscotch makes a brief appearance leading to dark chocolate soon taking over the show in the mid palate to finish but the baking spice joins the dark chocolate in the back of the palate.
Greens Pick Finish: Medium finish with baked spices like cinnamon. A less spicy finish of Makers 46.
WineXpresss Pick Finish: Longer finish where the dark chocolate and baking spice close up shop with hints of bitter, black coffee.
We loved the write-up that Mathew did on these two picks and are eager to see more guest reviews shared from fellow Bourbon Sippers! If you like reading these reviews, check out more on Slurred Speech. If you would like to join our FB group, follow the button below.
Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon Overview
* 2 baked American pure 2 brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice
* 3 seared French cuvee toasty notes of oak and caramel
* 3 makers 46 dried fruit, vanilla and spice
* 2 roasted French mocha pleasant traces of char, maple and cacao
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything : Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one.Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
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About Gf Makers Mark 2020 # 2
The second of two Private Barrel creations for 2021. This expression also utilizes the newest barrel stave option: Roasted French Mendiant. This provides the whiskey with wonderful notes of luscious dark fruit, rich cocoa, tobacco, and a long baking spice finish. It also makes use of traditional French and American oak staves for sweet notes of honey and molasses, as well as prominent oak notes on the finish.
Makers Mark Private Selection
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Back in 2018 when Makers Mark launched their new Private Select single barrel program, I was skeptical that it was even worth my time. The price and gimmicky nature seemed too much. Eventually, I did pick up a bottle at a local retailer because I wanted to see if I was right. I dont recall being totally blown away, but I wasnt turned off by it. My train of thought was that there were just so many better bourbons out there with age statements or higher proofs that I would rather spend my $70 on.
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About Gf Makers Mark 2020 # 1
The first of two 2020 Private Select Barrels selected at Crystal springs Resort in early October. The perfect blend of heat and sweet. Notes of rich, ripe dark fruit, as well as some subtle molasses and warm caramel. Velvety texture and wonderful mouthfeel. Wraps up with a long finish of baking spice.
Baked American Pure 2
This is the only Private Select Bourbon made with a stave from American oak which is called Baked American Pure 2 or P2 for short. The P2 stave was designed to make the Cask Strength finish even more forward on the palate and produce intense oak, vanilla and sweet notes. This stave has also been cooked inside of a conventional oven for a long time on a low temperature. This low and slow process is how the oaky and sweet flavors are amplified. According to Bowie, What this stave will do for your barrel is it will bring the whiskey to the front of your palette. If you like a forward finish, one of these staves does it for the whole barrel. It will add sweetness, but not necessarily in the creamy or textured sense. Its a sharp, bolt of oakiness that goes right to the front of the palate.
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Maker’s Mark’s Private Barrel Selection Program
Story & Photos by Justin Thompson
Since the first bottle of Makers Mark was filled in 1958 by the Samuels family, they have attempted to do things a little different than the rest of the Bourbon industry. Right out of the gate Bill Samuels Sr. chose to use wheat as the secondary ingredient for Makers Mark in hopes it would produce a softer, sweeter Bourbon when compared to others that normally use rye. They have been considered pioneers in marketing. Constantly changing their ad campaigns that usually have a mixture of quirky, classy and modern tones. Their distillery was one of the first to court large crowds of Bourbon enthusiasts so they could witness the process of making Bourbon first-hand. When it came time to bring another mass-produced Bourbon to market, they chose to launch Makers 46, using an aging process no other Bourbon company had performed to date. Now, Makers just revealed a program to some of its most loyal retail and bar customers to select their own barrel. And of course, the folks at Makers have made this an experience that will be hard for other Bourbon companies to copy.
Makers Mark Introduces Makers Mark Private Select Barrel Program
Loretto, KY Makers Mark® is bringing real innovation to the bourbon industry with a first-of-its-kind barrel program, Makers Mark Private Select. The new experience will allow retail customers to make their own Makers by finishing fully-matured cask strength Makers Mark® Bourbon in a single barrel made up of their custom selection of oak staves. The program will kick off in limited release in November 2015, with bottled product available for sale by retail participants beginning March 2016.
Through the Makers Mark Private Select Experience, participants will have the opportunity to spend an immersive and educational day at the historic Makers Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY, where they will roll up their sleeves and mirror the process used by Chairman Emeritus Bill Samuels, Jr. when he created Makers 46® in 2010.This innovative process of creating a personal expression of Makers Mark® allows the customer to create a bourbon that wanders in some intriguing ways from our traditional taste profile, while still being distinctively Makers Mark®, stated COO Makers Mark Distillery, Rob Samuels. Weve never before given anyone this kind of access or opportunity to create their favorite version of Makers, but were excited to see what folks come up with and how they like to make their Makers when given the chance.
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Maker’s Mark Private Select Selection By Liquor Barrel Staff & Lbwc
Purchase Info: $65.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN
Price per Drink : $4.40
Details: 54.45% ABV Staves: 3 Baked American Pure 2, 3 Seared French Cuvée, 1 Maker’s 46, 1 Roasted French Mocha, 2 Toasted French Spice
Nose: Sandalwood, oak, baking spice, hints of caramel
Mouth: Spicy and warm with lots of oak, baking spice, and a hint of caramel
Finish: Warm and of medium length. Cinnamon oil, black tea, dark chocolate, and oak notes linger.
Thoughts: On the first pour of this one, I was convinced that I wasnt a fan. I was getting a vegetal note to the finish. The oak was too prominent and it was just too hot for my tastes. Fast forward a couple of pours and things have settled down dramatically. The vegetal notes have transformed themselves into a black tea note. The overwhelming oak notes have subdued and been joined by dark chocolate notes. This is really good.
And this is why I try to never review anything from the first pour out of the bottle. Well, unless the bottle is small enough that there is only the first pour in there. You really need to live with a whiskey to see if you like it sometimes.
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