Maker’s Mark will be adding a new aged expression to its lineup this fall, according to a Wednesday press release.
Cellar Aged, slated to hit U.S. markets in September 2023, will be the Kentucky distillery’s first permanent addition to its bourbon lineup since the 2010 release of Maker’s 46. The flagship release is a blend of two bourbons: 87 percent of the spirit is aged for 12 years, and the other 13 percent is aged in different barrels for 11. Bottled at 115.7 proof — a notable jump from the brand’s standard 90 proof offerings — the bourbon will retail for $150.
“Consumers have been begging for an older Maker’s Mark for years,” Beth Buckner, the brand’s senior manager of innovation and blending, told the Lexington Herald Leader. “We’ve always said no.” Since its founding in 1953, Maker’s Mark has aged its bourbons for six to eight years, citing the importance of taste and smoothness rather than time.
“For more than 65 years, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn’t something we did. It’s not that we didn’t believe in it; we simply hadn’t found a way to do it that didn’t compromise on our taste vision,” says Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and grandson of the founders at Maker’s Mark in the release, “until now.”
Samuels is referring to the brand’s 2016 construction of a unique limestone warehouse carved into the natural shelf in the Kentucky hills. The cellar — which slows the impact of tannins during maturation due to a cool 50 degrees — allows its spirits to take on a deeper, more robust profile without turning bitter as they may if aged in the traditional warehouse for the same amount of time.
To produce Cellar Aged, barrels of Maker’s Mark namesake bourbon first spend approximately six years aging in the traditional warehouse until it reaches maturity, at which point they are moved to the limestone cellar for an additional five to six years. Once aged appropriately, the bourbons are then blended to taste and bottled.
Each September, the brand plans to release a select amount of Cellar Aged. While the specific maturation approach will remain consistent, the blend of bourbons will vary, allowing for a unique drinking experience each year. 30,000 bottles will be released this year, though according to Buckner, that number is expected to grow as the years progress.
“Cellar Aged embodies an older whisky that’s distinctly Makers Mark,” says Samuels. “One rooted in challenging convention, delivering new flavor experiences from the environment that surrounds us, and building on a taste vision that’s been generations in the making.”
In addition to being available in select U.S. markets in September, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged will also be available in London, Munich, and select Global Travel Retail accounts in October 2023, as well as Tokyo and Singapore in early 2024.
Curious about our opinion of the release? Tasted by VinePair contributor David Thomas Tao, check out our extended Maker’s Maker Cellar Aged review.
