Continuing this week’s inadvertent barrel theme, here are some that I photographed last weekend on a jaunt to Maker’s Mark, top, and Willett Distillery.

My recent post about which Girl Scout cookie goes best with bourbon drew lots of attention and comment, and many of you have subsequently been busy conducting your own taste tests.

Several people noted that Maker’s Mark paired well with Thin Mints. (As you might recall, I found in my sample that Thin Mints went best with the 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, calming the fire set by pairing the minty cookie with Rock Hill Farms.)

“Thin Mints are dynamite with Maker’s Mark! It’s kind of like a wintertime mint julep with chocolate,” one reader wrote.

Clearly, more research was in order. So I poured a little Maker’s Mark, crunched into a Thin Mint and took a sip. It is a nice pairing. And it makes sense that it would be, because Maker’s is a wheated bourbon - in other words, the small grain used in the mash bill is wheat, rather than rye. Rye tends to add a spicy note to bourbon that exploded when combined with the mint in the cookie; the wheat complements the mint rather than competing with it.

To further test this combination (I am nothing if not thorough), I tried a Thin Mint with Larceny, a new wheated bourbon from Heaven Hill. I liked this pairing even better. Larceny has a slightly higher proof than Maker’s and a bit more complexity to my palate, which made for a more interesting overall taste sensation.

Any other favorite pairings out there? Let me know.

The dust is still settling on Maker’s Mark’s decision to reduce the alcohol by volume of its flagship brand from 45 percent to 42 percent and then back again, but before we move on, I wanted to report on the results of my own taste test.  

In the initial announcement of the reduction from 90 proof to 84 proof, Rob Samuels assured ambassadors: “We’ve also done extensive testing with Maker’s Mark drinkers, and they couldn’t tell a difference.”

Well, this Maker’s Mark drinker could. Last night, my husband and I conducted a blind taste test, pouring samples of each version in identical glasses (red-wax-dipped glasses, of course) for each other so that I knew which one he was drinking first, and vice versa.

We each correctly identified the higher- and lower-proof versions immediately. Most notably, as you might expect, the 84 proof Maker’s didn’t have as much burn as the 90 proof (not that either of them has much - Maker’s is a smooth bourbon). The taste profile wasn’t tremendously different, but we did both get a little more sweetness, more caramel, from the lower-proof version.

That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, mind you. We agreed that the 42abv version tasted pretty good and we’ll finish the bottle. But there is a difference. Maker’s Mark’s current slogan is, “It is what it isn’t.” You might say that the 84 proof isn’t what it isn’t - 90 proof.    

You’ve heard of a tempest in a teapot. This was a blowup in a bottle - a bottle of Maker’s Mark with one key change on the label: 42 percent alcohol by volume, rather than the historic 45 percent.

The distillery’s announcement last weekend that it was reducing the alcohol percentage to stretch its dwindling supply instantly drew dismayed and angry responses from fans, bartenders and others in the industry, a reaction that grew throughout the week.  

And so today, Rob Samuels and Bill Samuels Jr. took to email once again to announce a reversal to Maker’s Mark’s ambassadors:

“Since we announced our decision last week to reduce the alcohol content (ABV) of Maker’s Mark in response to supply constraints, we have heard many concerns and questions from our ambassadors and brand fans. We’re humbled by your overwhelming response and passion for Maker’s Mark. While we thought we were doing what’s right, this is your brand – and you told us in large numbers to change our decision.

“You spoke. We listened. And we’re sincerely sorry we let you down.

“So effective immediately, we are reversing our decision to lower the ABV of Maker’s Mark, and resuming production at 45% alcohol by volume (90 proof). Just like we’ve made it since the very beginning.

“The unanticipated dramatic growth rate of Maker’s Mark is a good problem to have, and we appreciate some of you telling us you’d even put up with occasional shortages. We promise we’ll deal with them as best we can, as we work to expand capacity at the distillery.

“Your trust, loyalty and passion are what’s most important. We realize we can’t lose sight of that. Thanks for your honesty and for reminding us what makes Maker’s Mark, and its fans, so special.

“We’ll set about getting back to bottling the handcrafted bourbon that our father/grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr. created. Same recipe. Same production process. Same product.

“As always, we will continue to let you know first about developments at the distillery. In the meantime please keep telling us what’s on your mind and come down and visit us at the distillery. It means a lot to us.”

The bottles of 42 percent ABV/84 proof Maker’s are now likely to become collector’s items. I’ll admit it: I bought two, one to keep and one to open and compare with the 90 proof to see if I can tell the difference in the taste. I’ll let you know, but I don’t really expect to. Maker’s conducted extensive taste tests at the distillery and with Maker’s drinkers before making the original announcement, assuring fans that the taste profile remained the same.

The bad taste that will be left behind is the public-relations nightmare that Maker’s endured over the past week - a frankly stunning development for one of the most market-savvy brands in bourbon history. Maker’s pioneered the ambassador concept, building incredible loyalty among its drinkers. So why not bring them in way sooner? Let them know that a shortage was on the horizon, and ask them what option they preferred? Conduct those ”Coke vs. Pepsi” taste tests much more publicly and make them part of the process, rather than an after-the-fact reassurance?  

While the past week’s developments probably won’t hurt the brand much overall in the long run, they’ve sure been fascinating to watch. For once, Maker’s Mark was known more for red faces than red wax. 

Bill Samuels Jr. has responded on Maker’s Mark’s website to critics and questioners of the distillery’s decision to reduce its alcohol by volume by 3 percent to extend supply.

He says, in part:

“Since we’re a one-brand company that’s never purchased bourbon from other distillers when supplies are short, forecasting is very difficult. Over the years, our one variable that helps us avoid market shortages has been the age of the whisky in the Maker’s bottle. That range is between five years nine months and seven years. Because Maker’s Mark is aged to taste, Dad never put a specific age statement on the bottle. It wasn’t the age that mattered; it was the taste, the quality and the consistency.

“Some people are asking why we didn’t just raise the price if demand is an issue. We don’t want to price Maker’s Mark out of reach. Dad’s intention when he created this brand was to make good-tasting bourbon accessible and to bring more fans into the fold, not to make it exclusive. And, with regard to the price, the value of Maker’s Mark isn’t set by alcohol volume. It’s about the quality of the recipe and ingredients that go into it, all the handcrafting that goes into the production and how it tastes.

“Some of you have questioned how we reduce the alcohol content. The fact is, other than barrel-strength bourbons, all bourbons are cut with water to achieve the desired proof for bottling. This is a natural step in the bourbon-making process. Maker’s Mark has always been made this way and will continue to be made this way.

“As we looked at potential solutions to address the shortage, we agreed again that the most important thing was whether it tastes the same. The distillery made up different batches that Rob and I tested every evening over the course of a month. Every batch at 42% ABV had the same taste profile that we’ve always had. Then, we validated our own tastings with structured consumer research and the Tasting Panel at the distillery, who all agreed: there’s no difference in the taste.”
  

He also notes that Maker’s Mark is offering tastings of the 42 percent ABV (84 proof) whisky at the distillery in Loretto and asks for customer feedback.

Read the whole message here.

Maker’s Mark lit up the Internet this weekend with an email to its ambassadors announcing that the company would begin lowering the alcohol by volume (ABV) of its flagship bourbon by 3 percent - from 45 to 42. The addition of more water will also reduce the proof from 90 to 84.

The reason? “Demand for our bourbon is exceeding our ability to make it, which means we’re running very low on supply. We never imagined that the entire bourbon category would explode as it has over the past few years, nor that demand for Maker’s Mark would grow even faster,” COO Rob Samuels wrote in the email. “We wanted you to be the first to know that, after looking at all possible solutions, we’ve worked carefully to reduce the alcohol by volume (ABV) by just 3%. This will enable us to maintain the same taste profile and increase our limited supply so there is enough Maker’s Mark to go around, while we continue to expand the distillery and increase our production capacity.”

(There is no plan to alter Maker’s 46.)

Tampering with a beloved brand is a tricky thing, and many Maker’s fans reacted with outrage. Would they have responded better to a price increase? A third option would have been to just let the supply dwindle and count on customers buying with a vengeance when the supplies are replenished. That has obviously worked wonders for Pappy Van Winkle.

But Maker’s occupies a different shelf in the bourbon world - one that is growing increasingly crowded. In the past, customers had little choice but to wait when a brand’s supply ran low. That’s not the case anymore. With canny marketing, Maker’s is one of the most recognized brands across the country, and the company can’t afford to relinquish that hold. 

When asked about the blowback from Maker’s fans by WFPL’s Joseph Lord, Samuels responded: “We’re confident that through maintaining the taste exactly to our standard—that’s paramount, that’s what means most to us, that’s what means most to our consumers. The questions and concerns pale in comparison to the feedback that we’ve received with the shelves being empty.”

What do you think? Will you continue to buy Maker’s? Should they have raised prices instead, or just ridden out the temporary shortage?

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association will feature an exclusive sampling of bourbon brands at the Bluegrass Ball on Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C. The non-partisan event, hosted by the Kentucky Society of Washington, is the first of a series of black-tie celebrations surrounding the presidential inauguration.

Seven Kentucky distillers will pour premium single-barrel and small-batch bourbons: Bulleit, Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve. Bourbon VIPs scheduled to attend include Master Distillers Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey, Chris Morris of Woodford Reserve and Craig Beam of Heaven Hill, as well as Rob Samuels, chief operating officer of Maker’s Mark.

The Kentucky-inspired menu will be created by Chef Edward Lee, proprietor of 610 Magnolia in Louisville and a contestant on TV’s “Iron Chef America” and “Top Chef.”

The Kentucky Society of Washington, a not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1912 with a purpose to promote goodwill, fellowship and amicable relations among Kentuckians in the nation’s Capital region. The Bluegrass Ball started in 1949 to honor then-Vice President Alben W. Barkley, a Western Kentucky native who served under President Harry S Truman.  

Tickets to the 2013 Bluegrass Ball are $250 each and may be purchased here.

While I was in Loretto, Ky., for Maker’s Mark’s Cocktail Party a couple of weeks ago, I had a chance to peek at the distillery’s three new tasting rooms, one of which is pictured above.

The distillery added the rooms, which were created in a working warehouse (you can see the barrels through the window) to accommodate the increasing number of visitors: Maker’s Mark expects to welcome 125,000 people this year alone. The number of guests was creating a squeeze at the one original tasting station in the gift shop and rushing what should be the highlight of the tour. With the new classroom-style rooms, the tasting portion of the tour has doubled in length from about five minutes to 10.

Each room features artwork by Kentucky artists: photographs by David Toczko of Elizabethtown, whose coffee table book about Maker’s is available in the gift shop, in one; paintings by Louisville artist David O. Schuster in the second; and a series of artists in the largest room.

Maker’s Mark is at 3350 Burk Spring Road in Loretto. Tours and tastings are $7 per adult and are offered 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday through December (closed on Sundays in Jan-Feb). Note that the distillery will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and the bottling line will be shut down all next week because of the holiday.  

The Beaumont Inn has been welcoming travelers to Harrodsburg, Ky., since 1919, and yet somehow I hadn’t made my way there until last weekend. I stayed at the Beaumont’s Goddard Hall after attending an event for ambassadors at Maker’s Mark in Loretto, about an hour away.

That’s appropriate, because the Beaumont Inn is now an official sponsor of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour and its Old Owl Tavern offers more than 50 bourbons. Upstairs, the cozy Owl’s Nest Pub serves classic cocktails, including The Derby, made with Woodford Reserve, sweet vermouth, orange Curacao and lime juice - a sight better than a mint julep, if you ask me.

What’s with all the owls? The Dedman family, which has operated the inn for five generations, distilled a whiskey called Kentucky Owl Bourbon before Prohibition. You can’t buy Owl Bourbon anymore, but you can buy a poster of the label in the Beaumont Inn’s gift shop - along with lots of owl-bedecked home decor items.

The Beaumont Inn is a genteel place to spend a night or a weekend. Learn more about the inn, the Old Owl Tavern and the Owl’s Nest by clicking here.

The Beaumont Inn

Well, tomorrow is finally Election Day, and after a fun event at Maker’s Mark Distillery on Saturday night, I can honestly say that I fully support… the Cocktail Party. My husband and I joined several hundred other Maker’s Mark Ambassadors for the final Cocktail Party event at the mother ship in Loretto, Ky., where we enjoyed live music; a lesson in pairing food and bourbon; terrific duck sausage prepared by Busta Grill from Louisville; a quick chat with Bill Samuels Jr.; and, of course, bourbon. The Maker’s 46 warmed us up, but while the red-white-and-blue cocktail created for the event gets points for creativity, the actual taste left us a bit cold. We opted not to stand in line to dip a bottle (although many ambassadors, like those below, did), instead purchasing a commemorative glass, above.

It was nice to see all that red and blue mingling in harmony, and who can argue with the Cocktail Party slogan: “Life, liberty and the pursuit of bourbon”?

Remember, here in Kentucky no alcohol may be served or purchased while the polls are open on Tuesday (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Heaven Hill and Woodford Reserve will be closed on Nov. 6 and other distilleries will have limited hours and tours, so call ahead to avoid disappointment. (And if you happen to be flying through or into Louisville from elsewhere, please don’t give the servers at the airport bars a hard time; they didn’t pass the silly alcohol laws.)

Whatever party you support, please exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, and whether you’re celebrating later or drowning your sorrows, do so responsibly.

I’m the Bourbon Babe, and I approve this message.