Maker’s Mark announced Manufacturer’s mark Cellar Aged Bourbon, a limited release annual new global expression.
Containing an 11- and 12-year-old bourbon blend, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged is the distillery’s oldest release.
Since its creation in 1953, Manufacturer’s mark aged his whiskey by taste, not time. “For over 65 years, aging our whiskey for over ten years was not something we did,” says Rob Samuels, eight-generation whiskey maker and grandson of Maker’s Mark founders. “It’s not that we don’t believe in it; we just hadn’t found a way to do it that didn’t compromise our vision of taste – until now.
“Cellar Aged epitomizes an older whiskey that is distinctly Maker’s Mark,” he adds. “One rooted in tough convention, offering new taste experiences from the environment around us and building on a vision of taste that has been crafted by generations.”
To become Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged, casks of the distillery’s classic distillate first spend approximately six years aging in traditional bourbon warehouses. The casks are then transferred to the distillery’s exclusive whiskey cellar for a further five to six years of ageing, before being blended to taste and bottled. Built into the natural limestone plateau of the Kentucky Hills, the cellar’s cool environment slows the tannic impact that occurs during maturation, the company explains, while allowing the bourbon to develop a “deeper, darker flavor.” .
Cellar Aged will be a limited annual release available in specific markets around the world. The aging approach of ‘Cellar Aged’ will remain consistent each year, but the specific blend of aged bourbon will vary based on ready barrels, per taste.
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Cellar Aged’s inaugural release is a marriage of 12 and 11 year old whiskey – 87% and 13%, respectively – bottled at cask strength (115.7 proof). Cellar Aged will be available at a suggested retail price of $150 per 750ml. bottle, in the United States, in September 2023.
