It's a bit hard to believe that it's been almost a year that @mrsbozz and I took the trip down to Louisville, KY for Spring Break. I remember when we came back from that trip I added no less than five bottles of bourbon to my collection.
I haven't finished any of them in the past year, that's the nice thing about having so many bottles, you can rotate through them on a regular basis and make them last a lot longer. I usually only have a couple of glasses on the weekend anyway, so that also helps me enjoy them over an extended period of time.
Given how much I spent on that trip to Kentucky, I decided to take a bit of a break from spending money on Whiskey/Bourbon. As you may or may not know, some of the bottles can get quite expensive. I don't think I have ever bought a bottle price over $100 USD, but if you buy 4 $70 bottles, it still adds up!
It's only recently that I have started to buy some more bottles for my collection. Over the last year I have finished a bottle or two and that left some empty spaces on my shelf. Not good! I happened to be down in Ohio last fall and I noticed this bottle in one of the local stores. I had never seen Maker's Mark 101 proof before, so I decided to pick it up.
As you can read on the box, it's a limited release and that is part of what drew my attention to it. I don't remember seeing this available in the distillery store when we visited last Spring. As you can see, the bottle had a really nice wax dip. They actually taught us that the goal is to get at least three or so good drips down the side of the bottle neck.
As you can read on the box, the founder of Maker's Mark really like the flavors that the offering at this proof provided. They kept it for special occasions to share with their closest friends and family. I can attest to the fact that it is definitely something special.
The property down in Loretto, KY where they distill Maker's Mark is really something to behold. It's kind of down in a hollar between a couple large hills and it really feels like you are stepping into the past when you start walking the grounds.
I can't recommend enough that you visit this place should you get the chance. It was probably our favorite part of the trip.
An interesting thing about this bottle versus most of the other Maker's Mark offerings I have seen is the fact that it has a screw top instead of a cork. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just different.
Even at 101 proof, this bourbon is quite smooth. Usually when you think of 101 proof whiskey, you probably immediately go to Wild Turkey 101. While I would agree that is a good bourbon (probably one of my favorites for the price point), I would say this Maker's is a bit more elevated than that. That is reflected in the price too. Where Wild Turkey 101 is about $30 in the store, this was closer to $50 USD for a 750ml bottle.
I'm actually hoping that one day I can get back to this part of Kentucky with @diamonddave and we can do a tour of the Maker's Mark facility again. Plus, there are a ton of other stops on the bourbon trail that I haven't seen yet. From what I have read online, the Four Roses facility is pretty impressive and I would like to tour the Old Forester facility some day.
Speaking of Old Forester, I recently picked up a bottle of their 1910 offering that you see in the photo above. Unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy it myself. Instead, I gifted it to my brother in law for taking the time to square my taxes away for another year.
It has become a bit of a tradition that I buy him a nice bottle of whiskey as payment for fulfilling my obligation to the IRS.
I've had this 1910 before and I have to admit, it is a dang good bourbon. You can read on the bottle that this is a special expression that pays homage to the results of a fire they had back in 1910.
I was recently reading an article where they ranked all the Old Forester offerings from best to worst. It never fails that the 1920 Prohibition Style sits in the top stop. I can agree with that, it is a really good bourbon and I have a bottle of it on my shelf at home right now. My problem with it is the fact that it is super high proof. Like 115 to 123 proof. You are talking over 50% alcohol by volume and that can be a bit overwhelming at times.
The 1910 has a welcoming 46.5% ABV and at 93 proof it's just an easier sip and nicer to enjoy. In fact, while 1920 usually sits at the top of their rankings, 1910 is always a close second from what I have seen. This bottle is about $20 USD less than the 1920 as well. At around $50 USD it's just some good whiskey.
If you had to pick between the two above though, always go with the Maker's. It's limited edition after all. The 1910 is pretty readily available at most stores.
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