Maker's Mark
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Maker's Mark is a premium brand of bourbon whiskey distilled in Loretto, Kentucky.
When the famous T.W. Samuels family of distilling sold their distillery and their trademarks in the 1950s, those members of the family who wished to continue in the business began to search for a small distillery to purchase and continue the trade on a smaller scale, emphasizing high-quality production over high-volume production. They soon found an older distillery in Loretto, Kentucky that had not been operational for several years but was just the right size for the proposed operation. The Samuels decided to come up with a new recipe for their whiskey in order to make it smoother, but since the aging process for whiskey takes years, could not take the time involved actually to distill and age many batches of whiskey of varying ingredients.
A unique solution to this problem was decided upon. Loaves of bread containing the exact proportion of the grain contents of each proposed recipe were baked and the one judged to be the best-tasting was adopted. Interestingly, the one selected contained no rye whatever, which was replaced by more barley and wheat. Unlike most whiskies, Maker's Mark is not aged for any specific period of years; rather it is bottled and marketed when expert tasters agree that it is ready. Also, the barrels are moved from the lower to the upper floors of the warehouse and back down during the aging process to benefit from the differences in temperature at the various levels, a practice which used to be common in the distilling industry but which has been largely abandoned due to being too labor-intensive and hence expensive. Maker's Mark is sold in unusually-shaped squarish bottles which are sealed in red sealing wax. In the United States, only one variety is marketed, bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume). There is a higher (101.5) proof brand, sealed with gold wax, previously marketed in the U.S. but now sent only to selected export markets.
Maker's Mark enjoys something of a cult status in certain circles. For years it was marketed with the tag line, "It tastes expensive ... and is." It is allegedly one of the favorite alcoholic beverages of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.