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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/685968
www.cheersonline.com 34 • June 2016 By Melissa Dowling The first batches of Maker's Mark Private Select, the bourbon brand's wood-selection customization program, became available this spring. Marriott and Maker's Mark hosted a group of journalists in Kentucky in April to sam- ple some of the fruits of the program. A little background on Private Select: The concept builds on the Beam-Suntory-owned company's Maker's 46 bourbon, the brand's first release in 50 years when it came out in 2010. The matured whiskey is aged a second time with staves of toasted French oak to bring out bolder flavors with enhanced vanilla, oak and spice. With Private Select, which was initially only available to Kentucky- and Illinois-based customers but will be expanded in 2016, retail and on-premise accounts could "make their own Maker's." This involves finishing fully matured, cask-strength Maker's Mark bourbon in a single barrel made up of oak staves selected by the participants. The oak staves have been cooked to bring out differ- ent flavors and aromas. The collection includes Baked American Pure 2, Seared French Cuvee, Maker's 46, Roasted French Mocha and Toasted French Spice. The staves can be mixed and matched up to the 10 staves used in the barrel. There are 1,001 possible stave combinations; one stave changes the entire complexity of the barrel. UNIQUE KENTUCKY FLAVOR The Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa in Lexington, KY, was one of the Private Select participants. General man- ager Theona Simbrat and 12 people on her team spent a day at the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY, in late November for an in-depth immersion on the role that wood plays in the taste of bourbon. After the bourbon education and tasting, the hotel's team decided on four staves of the Baked American Pure 2; four of the Roasted French Mocha; and two of the Toasted French Spice. The chosen staves went into a barrel filled with the cask-strength Maker's Mark for nine more weeks of aging. The Griffin Gate Marriott unveiled its Private Select bourbon on April 14 at a party that also kicked off its A TASTE OF MAKER'S MARK PRIVATE SELECT BOURBONS ON THE ROAD The Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto, KY, is at the far end of the famed Bourbon Trail. Lexington, KY