The Ohio Division of Liquor Control has partnered with Maker’s Mark to create Ohio Private Select. They traveled to Maker’s Mark’s distillery in Lorretto, Kentucky and worked with the Private Select team, led by Scott Mooney, to select two barrels specifically for Ohio. These barrels are different than other barrels programs because they selected the finishing staves used to create the flavor profile of the finished whiskey. In the Private Select barrel process, there are five different types of wood staves that are added to the base Maker Red Top at barrel strength. A total of 10 staves are placed in these barrels which creates 1,001 different flavor variations. With the selected staves in place inside the barrels, they are rested for an additional nine weeks in a temperature controlled area. The final product has notes of vanilla, caramel and mocha over a little spice and smoke.
Bottles go on sale for $65.36 plus tax when the participating Agencies open on Friday.
In Dayton the only store to stock this special bottle will be the Arrow Wine and Spirits located at 615 Lyons Road in Washington Township.
When you pick up your bottle of Ohio Private Select, be sure to also grab a taste profile card!
The Ohio Private Select taste profile includes:
- One Stave: Baked American Pure 2 (sweet brown vanilla, caramel, brown spice)
- One Stave: Seared French Cuvee (oaky, caramel, roasted/toasted)
- Four Staves: Maker’s 46 (dried fruit, vanilla, spice)
- Two Staves: Roasted French Mocha (char, maple, cacao)
- Two Staves: Toasted French Spice (smoke, coumarin, spice)
About Maker’s Mark:
Bill Samuels Sr. had his own idea of how whisky should taste. So he abandoned the family recipe that was passed down six generations and set out to create his own. If he was going to make bourbon and put his name on it, he wanted one he could be proud of. And that meant bourbon that was more pleasing to the palate. He developed a new recipe based on locally grown grains. The most unique thing he did, however, was replace the traditional bourbon flavoring grain of rye with red winter wheat, which produced a much gentler taste.
Distilled in Lorretto, Kentucky, the barrels are rotated during aging — to ensure every barrel achieves the same flavor maturation. Every bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon to taste – not by age – to ensure the same consistent taste and quality batch-to-batch, year-to-year. Currently, aging lasts approximately five and three quarters to seven years.
