Maker’s Mark and its seal of quality are famous the world over. A family business specialising in Bourbon, a type of whiskey from the US and are proud of the artisan skills that go into making the product and the brand. Kurt is a huge whiskey (whisky) fan and with it being Kurt’s drink of choice, he was over the moon to be invited to the Maker’s Mark immersive pop up highlight the 4 W’s that make Maker’s Mark. The event was held at the old Copper Mill in Alexandria. A great venue, the Copper Mill is a converted industrial space, with much of the old character retained. The walls are thick cement, as were the doors, which were super impressive, as they opened with ease everytime, into a new room with it’s own character and feel.

We were visiting for a Maker’s Mark Event and were greeted at the door with a refreshing welcome cocktail of Maker’s Mark ginger and lime. We met their brand ambassador who was to guide us on this interactive Maker’s Mark experience to show us the four W’s that make Maker’s Mark.

We are first provided with a leather apron to look the part. Then we are led up stairs into a room where bread is being baked. Baking bread was how Bill Samuels Sr perfected the recipe for the bourbon that is still being produced today. The process explained and we also sampled some quality sourdough.

We are then led into the next room where water is the ingredient championed. Maker’s Mark pick their distillery site with this factor in mind. In this room we sample the product neat (straight up) and also on the rocks (over ice) this also demonstrating how a little water from the ice can change the flavour and intensity of the Whiskey. We are also shown a demonstration of some magnificent ice carving by Ice carving master Kenji. We also stamp an ice cube with the Maker’s Mark seal, pretty cool!

We are then ushered to another room, where it is explained where the famous Wax seal originated and how a woman’s intuition named and shaped the design of the bottles. Margie Samuels inspired by the Maker’s Mark on English Pewter she collected is how the name was inspired, Margies designing of the bottles and labels to make Maker’s Mark stand out in the market. In this room we get hands on making our own cocktail, the old fashioned. This cocktail is a mix of sugar, Angusturo Bitters and of course the Maker’s Mark Whiskey.

The final W is wood, and we enter another room where the barrel making process called coopering is demonstrated. Wood iis  another important component as the wood from the barrel instills flavour into the bourbon. The American Oak provides subtle vanilla notes to the sweetness of the bourbon. In the Maker’s Mark 46 bottling they also age it in French Oak which adds some spice to the bourbon.

Makers Mark a quality product and a great drink to be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail. A great event put on by Maker’s Mark and thanks to the FCBA crew for providing a ticket which we won in a competition.