Makers Mark Distilery

Yesterday we drove north about 25 miles to Loretto, KY for a tour of the Makers Mark Bourbon distillery. It is set in the rolling hills just outside Loretto. The distillery dates back to the 1805 when it was established as a water powered gristmill distillery, it is also a National Historic Landmark. Also on the grounds is the Quart House believed to be the oldest remaining whiskey retail store. This is where the distillery used to sell bourbon the surrounding neighbors. If you notice the road is lower than the store. This is so the people could purchase their whiskey without leaving the seat of the horse drawn wagon. The Makers Mark brand was started in 1953 when Bill Samuel's a 6th. generation distiller decided to burn the old family recipe and start with his own recipe. His wife developed the distinctive bottle that is used and the process for hand dipping in hot red wax that forms the seal on the final product. By law bourbon has to at least 50% corn and aged in new barrels that can be used only one time for bourbon aging. The barrels are made from locally grown white oak and flash burned on the inside. This burning process is what gives the bourbon its color over the six year aging process. The flavor come from the oak barrel during the same process. There are still 8 of the original wooden citrus vats in use as well as an additional 20 newer stainless steel vats. Each vat holds 9600 gallons of corn, hard red winter wheat, barley, yeast and water. After this mixture ferments for four days they then draw off about 18-20 53 gallon barrels of alcohol that is then put through the distilling process that produces a clear 180 proof liquid that is put in the oak barrels to age for 6 years before it is bottled for resale as Maker Mark Bourbon.