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DC’s Newest Must Taste: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 — Preview Tasting Review

Inspiring Flavor behind Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 — Preview Tasting Review

In celebration of the debut for Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024, I joined a group of whisky and spirit reviewers at Maker’s Mark headquarters in Loretto, Kentucky for a day of tours, lunch and of course a private tasting.

Our Cellar Aged 2024 tasting was led by Innovation Manager Beth Buckner and Senior Director & Head of Innovation Blake Layfield.

Blake Layfield and Senior Manager of Innovation and Blending Beth Buckner

Senior Director & Head of Innovation Blake Layfield and Senior Manager of Innovation and Blending Beth Buckner

The limestone shelf that surrounds Star Hill Farm, homeplace to the Maker’s Mark Distillery, is key to crafting the unique taste of its bourbon

Today’s tasting takes place in a built-in cave within the limestone shelf itself, at a chilly 50 degrees.  It’s a memorable experience for a memorable bottle. As we walk into the limestone cellar, there’s dozens of barrels stationed on the floor, which is part of the Private Selections Program we’ll hear about below

Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 blends 15% Maker’s Mark 12-year-old and 85% Maker’s Mark 13-year-old, at 59.7% ABV or 119.3 Proof. 

The aroma carries notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond. The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, a surprising bite of coconut, and spices. A lingering finish highlighting dried dark fruit and oak undertones.

Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2024

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 alongside 2023

Side by side: 2023 vs 2024

The 2024 bottle (the 2nd inaugural Cellar Aged effort) takes a noticeable turn from it’s 2023 first path.

The 2023 is a blend of 87% 12-year-old and 13% 11-year-old barrels.  Proof at 115.7

In comparing, you’ll notice strong differences.  2023’s bottle offers lighter greeting.  Aromas of caramel syrup, cinnamon sugar, subtle red fruit.  Cornbread, apricot, brown sugar.

Whereas 2024 is a more matured taste profile.  The aroma carries notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond. The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, subtle coconut, and spices. A lingering finish highlighting dried dark fruit and oak undertones.

Private Selections Program

A Maker’s Mark priority is to maintain their taste profile.  Famously, aged between 6 – 8 years old, but every barrel ages a little bit differently. 

When loyal customers asked for a single barrel, they had to politely decline, but wanted to find a way to excite and involve their audience base.  

So they created the Private Selections Program, which is how enthusiasts visit and pick their taste, a vision of what they want their Makers Mark to taste like and then the company uses custom staves in a barrel, which were seen stored on the floor around us.

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for a suggested retail price of USD $174.99 in the United States

The limited-release Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for purchase at the Maker’s Mark Distillery by booking the Cellar Aged Experience at https://www.makersmark.com//distillery/visit-us.

For more information about Maker’s Mark, please visit www.MakersMark.com.

ABOUT MAKER’S MARK
Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world.  Maker’s Mark began with the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, fulfilled their dream to create a delicious bourbon without the bite, using soft red winter wheat instead of rye to enhance the softness, sweetness and signature creaminess. Highly desired around the world, Maker’s Mark is handmade, hand-dipped in our signature red wax, and every barrel continues to be rotated by hand and is aged to taste not time.

Always true to the founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark continues to shape the brand’s future through purposeful, flavor-driven innovation. In recent years, the brand has introduced thoughtful, super-premium expressions to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, all Double Gold winners of the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection: the brand’s custom barrel program.

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DC’s Newest Must Taste: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 — Preview Tasting Review

Inspiring Flavor behind Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 — Preview Tasting Review

In celebration of the debut for Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024, I joined a group of whisky and spirit reviewers at Maker’s Mark headquarters in Loretto, Kentucky for a day of tours, lunch and of course a private tasting.

Our Cellar Aged 2024 tasting was led by Innovation Manager Beth Buckner and Senior Director & Head of Innovation Blake Layfield.

Blake Layfield and Senior Manager of Innovation and Blending Beth Buckner

Senior Director & Head of Innovation Blake Layfield and Senior Manager of Innovation and Blending Beth Buckner

The limestone shelf that surrounds Star Hill Farm, homeplace to the Maker’s Mark Distillery, is key to crafting the unique taste of its bourbon

Today’s tasting takes place in a built-in cave within the limestone shelf itself, at a chilly 50 degrees.  It’s a memorable experience for a memorable bottle. As we walk into the limestone cellar, there’s dozens of barrels stationed on the floor, which is part of the Private Selections Program we’ll hear about below

Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 blends 15% Maker’s Mark 12-year-old and 85% Maker’s Mark 13-year-old, at 59.7% ABV or 119.3 Proof. 

The aroma carries notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond. The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, a surprising bite of coconut, and spices. A lingering finish highlighting dried dark fruit and oak undertones.

Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2024

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 alongside 2023

Side by side: 2023 vs 2024

The 2024 bottle (the 2nd inaugural Cellar Aged effort) takes a noticeable turn from it’s 2023 first path.

The 2023 is a blend of 87% 12-year-old and 13% 11-year-old barrels.  Proof at 115.7

In comparing, you’ll notice strong differences.  2023’s bottle offers lighter greeting.  Aromas of caramel syrup, cinnamon sugar, subtle red fruit.  Cornbread, apricot, brown sugar.

Whereas 2024 is a more matured taste profile.  The aroma carries notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond. The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, subtle coconut, and spices. A lingering finish highlighting dried dark fruit and oak undertones.

Private Selections Program

A Maker’s Mark priority is to maintain their taste profile.  Famously, aged between 6 – 8 years old, but every barrel ages a little bit differently. 

When loyal customers asked for a single barrel, they had to politely decline, but wanted to find a way to excite and involve their audience base.  

So they created the Private Selections Program, which is how enthusiasts visit and pick their taste, a vision of what they want their Makers Mark to taste like and then the company uses custom staves in a barrel, which were seen stored on the floor around us.

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for a suggested retail price of USD $174.99 in the United States

The limited-release Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for purchase at the Maker’s Mark Distillery by booking the Cellar Aged Experience at https://www.makersmark.com//distillery/visit-us.

For more information about Maker’s Mark, please visit www.MakersMark.com.

ABOUT MAKER’S MARK
Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world.  Maker’s Mark began with the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, fulfilled their dream to create a delicious bourbon without the bite, using soft red winter wheat instead of rye to enhance the softness, sweetness and signature creaminess. Highly desired around the world, Maker’s Mark is handmade, hand-dipped in our signature red wax, and every barrel continues to be rotated by hand and is aged to taste not time.

Always true to the founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark continues to shape the brand’s future through purposeful, flavor-driven innovation. In recent years, the brand has introduced thoughtful, super-premium expressions to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, all Double Gold winners of the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection: the brand’s custom barrel program.

Makers Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon

Makers Mark Cellar Aged 2024 Debuts its most mature bourbon

Makers Mark, the iconic Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world, announces the 2024 release of Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged: the annual, global limited-release expression that delivers the distillery’s highly anticipated and oldest release.

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024

Like the inaugural, award-winning 2023 release, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 is aged to taste, not time – now blending 12- and 13-year-old Maker’s Mark to unlock new flavors.

“We surprised the world

with the debut of Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged last year,

a bold step in our family’s legacy because, for more than 65 years, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn’t something we did,”

Rob Samuels

8th generation whisky maker and Managing Director,

Maker’s Mark

“Staying true to our founders’ flavor vision and our relentless pursuit of excellence, we’re thrilled to introduce our most mature bourbon yet.”

Meticulously crafted, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 blends 15% Maker’s Mark 12-year-old and 85% Maker’s Mark 13-year-old, at 59.7% ABV or 119.3 Proof.

Aroma: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024

The aroma has notes of caramelized sugar and toasted almond.

Palate: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024

The palate unveils a delicate interplay of buttery shortbread, rich coconut, and bright spices. A lingering finish showcases dried dark fruit and subtle oak undertones.

“Delivering an elevated expression that’s distinctly Maker’s Mark,

Cellar Aged finishes maturation in our LEED-certified cellar,

built into the limestone shelf that surrounds us, creating a richer, deeper and more complex bourbon, free from the harsher tannic effects commonly found in older American whiskies,”

Dr. Blake Layfield

Head of Innovation and Blending, Maker’s Mark

The limestone shelf that surrounds Star Hill Farm, homeplace to the Maker’s Mark Distillery, is key to crafting the unique taste of its bourbon – thanks to the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, chose the land in Loretto, Kentucky because of its water source and natural watershed.

Maker’s Mark still owns, protects, and enriches all 76 acres of its main lake’s watershed; and today, is the largest bourbon distillery in the world to achieve B Corp Certification and the first distillery to achieve Regenified Certification, a reflection of the brand’s dedication to regenerative agriculture practices that enhances the flavor of its bourbon.

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for a suggested retail price of USD $174.99 in the United States beginning today; in the United KingdomGermany and select Global Travel Retail accounts in the coming weeks; and in Korea, Japan and Singapore in early 2025.

In the United States, in addition to select retailers nationwide, the limited-release Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024 will be available for purchase at the Maker’s Mark Distillery by booking the Cellar Aged Experience at https://www.makersmark.com//distillery/visit-us.

For more information about Maker’s Mark, please visit www.MakersMark.com.

ABOUT MAKER’S MARK
Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world.  Maker’s Mark began with the innovative spirit of Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr., who in 1953, fulfilled their dream to create a delicious bourbon without the bite, using soft red winter wheat instead of rye to enhance the softness, sweetness and signature creaminess. Highly desired around the world, Maker’s Mark is handmade, hand-dipped in our signature red wax, and every barrel continues to be rotated by hand and is aged to taste not time.

Always true to the founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark continues to shape the brand’s future through purposeful, flavor-driven innovation. In recent years, the brand has introduced thoughtful, super-premium expressions to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, all Double Gold winners of the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection: the brand’s custom barrel program.

Get Your Tix Now DC! Horror Hit “Soul Trader” heads to DC Shorts International Film Fest Sept 6, with Director/Producer Susan Dynner, Executive Producer / Actress Shauna Grace in person

Horror Hit “Soul Trader” heads to Washington DC at DC Shorts International Film Fest September 6, with Director/Producer Susan Dynner, Executive Producer / Actress Shauna Grace in person

Award-winning short film The Soul Trader will be to be screened in Washington DC as part of DC Shorts International Film Fest in ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE CINEMA DC (630 Rhode Island Ave NE) on Friday September 6 at 12pm.

The Soul Trader is a 12 minute short proof of concept for a feature or series directed by Susan Dynner (Brick, Punk’s Not Dead, Code Blue: A Love Story) and starring Shane West (A Walk to Remember, ER, The Dirty South), Donna Mills (Knots Landing, Nope, Origin), and newcomer Shauna Grace.

The story follows Coral Chase (Shauna Grace), an occult hitwoman who has the power to steal life-extending souls, which she then sells to vain, wealthy elites like Erica Claessen (Donna Mills), who clings to the crumbs of youth. She’s flanked by stoic bodyguard Damien (Shane West), who ultimately emerges from the shadows as her rival when she’s about to carry out a money-spinning hit at a target’s home and realizes she’s not the only one with murder in mind.

“We’re excited to share this story and show a strong female lead that audiences are falling in love with”
Director / Producer Susan Dynner

The short film launched at the Cannes Film Festival’s American Pavilion in May and has been gaining momentum ever since.

It won its first award just weeks later at the Manhattan Film Festival in NYC. Now it’s set to screen at many more festivals on the West Coast, East Coast and across the globe.

“This project is definitely a good luck charm.  Playing the role of Coral, working with our cast and crew has been incredible. But the biggest thanks is the reaction from the audience.  Getting to meet people who are excited and inspired by the story and characters.”
Actress / Executive Producer Shauna Grace

Meanwhile the filmmaking duo Susan Dynner and Shauna Grace are busy taking meetings toward their next step.

What is their next step?

“This was always meant as a proof of concept short film to become a feature film or TV series.  With the sold-out screenings and awards, it just confirms our feeling that this story is so much bigger than a short.”
Susan Dynner

Actress Shauna Grace has been receiving strong reviews, comparing her on screen presence to other heroines including Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson.

Dynner’s experience as a studio development executive for visionaries such as Richard Donner and Wolfgang Peterson shines through.  Also, her producing work on Sundance hit “Brick” and festival darling “Punks Not Dead” shows her ability to bring production value on a range of budgets.

Both Dynner and Grace will attend their DC Shorts screening on Friday September 6 at 12pm and be available afterwards to discussion.

The Soul Trader is directed and produced by Dynner, written by newcomer Mike Underwood, photographed by Matthias Schubert (The Door Man, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, Shelter in Solitude), produced by Lauren Bancroft (The Making of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, Wild Bitch, Bite Size Halloween), edited by David Hopper (God Bless America, In Between Songs, Rust Creek), and executive produced by Shauna Grace, with music composed by Jeff Russo (Fargo, Ripley, Star Trek: Discovery).

See The Soul Trader at DC Shorts Film Festival on Friday September 6, 2024 at 12pm.  Tix available here: https://dcshorts.filmbot.com/2024/passes-tickets/

About the Author
Joe Wehinger (nicknamed Joe Winger) has written for over 20 years about the business of lifestyle and entertainment. Joe is an entertainment producer, media entrepreneur, public speaker, and C-level consultant who owns businesses in entertainment, lifestyle, tourism and publishing. He is an award-winning filmmaker, published author, member of the Directors Guild of America, International Food Travel Wine Authors Association, WSET Level 2 Wine student, WSET Level 2 Cocktail student, member of the LA Wine Writers. Email to: Joe@FlavRReport.com

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