Brian’s Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #6 Review
17-October-2020
MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH #6 BOURBON REVIEW:
Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #6 (Maker’s Mark PS – ID Dir Cut 6) is one of the finest bourbons I’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Its nose is of light fruit, sherry wine and a perfectly balanced sweet and woody wheat pastry confection – all of which are amplified on the palate. The mouthfeel is amazing, oily and viscous, sweet, and woody. I’ll have another.
2020 marks the second year the Idaho State Liquor Department has partnered with Maker’s Mark to expand on the Maker’s 46 process* of adding 10 oak finishing staves to cask-strength Maker’s Mark.
MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH #6 VITAL STATS:
– Category: Barrel Finished Kentucky Bourbon*
– Region: Loretto, KY, USA
– Distiller: Maker’s Mark
– Mash Bill: Mashbill: 70% corn; 16% soft red winter wheat; 14% malted barley
– Barrel Char: Barrels are “seasoned” outdoors for nine months, (over a summer) in new American white oak then fired for 40 seconds to achieve #3 char.
– Barrel entry proof: 110
– Age: nas (said to be 5 3/4 to 7 years, plus finishing of 9 weeks in cold conditions in barrels with a chosen combination of staves)*
– Barrel #: 2565
– Dumped 06-December-2019
– ABV: 53.5% (107 Proof)
– Price: $69.95
*MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT – IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH #6 FINISHING STAVES:
▪P2: Adds sweet brown vanilla, caramel and brown spice
▪Cu: Adds toasted oak and caramel
▪46 Adds dried fruit, vanilla and spice
▪Mo: Adds char, maple and cacao
▪Sp: Adds smoke, coumarin and spice
STAVE SELECTORS FOR THIS BATCH:
The Idaho State Liquor Division.
*”The Maker’s Mark Private Select® Experience is a one-of-a-kind bourbon adventure. It took place over the course of a full day in Boise, Idaho. While there, we were introduced to the five oak staves chosen especially for this program. These five staves can be combined in 1,001 ways to create a personal expression. We learned about their taste profiles, sampled bourbon produced with each of them and made the selections that ultimately led to our own version of Maker’s Mark.® We’re confident you’ll enjoy this new expression.”
*Learn more at https://www.makersmark.com/makers-mark-private-selection.
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
For the evaluation, I shared neat pours from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
COMPARISON NOTES:
One and half ounces of Maker’s Mark PS – ID Dir Cut 4 and Dir Cut 6 were sampled several weeks prior to the reviews of this bourbon. At the first pour, I felt Dir Cut 4 was better than Dir Cut 6. Reviews of these bourbons were conducted two evenings apart. Since opening the bottles, Maker’s Mark PS – ID Dir Cut 6 has blossomed, and is far superior to Maker’s Mark PS – ID Dir Cut 4.
MAKER’S MARK PS – ID DIR CUT 6 NOSE:
With heavy nosing, ethanol can be coaxed, but for me Maker’s Mark PS – ID Dir Cut 6’s first notes are floral in nature. Like many Maker’s offerings, I get light fruit tree blossoms on the wind, but there are also sherry wine, roasted corn and wheat aromas. Continued nosing brings dark dried stone fruit which complement well blended allspice, cinnamon and pepper. It is a nice brown sugared wheat-pastry wrapped fresh apple-cinnamon compote. Rich vanilla and buttery, woody, brown sugar caramel and a hint of toasted pecan toffee only add to the confection. This wood forward whiskey is gentle and buttery. Its sweet and seasoned, spicy-dry oak wafts upward in toasted and hazy barrel char aromas.
MAKER’S MARK PS – ID DIR CUT 6 PALATE:
Upon taking the first taste, Maker’s Mark PS – ID Dir Cut 6 presents with little alcohol making this dry and warm liquid and easy sip. The pleasant sherry wine notes sensed on the nose pass through as do roasted corn and dark fruit leather. Allspice, cinnamon and black pepper, are perfectly balanced with sweets of light brown sugar. And once in the mouth, cinnamon sprinkled on buttered wheat toast and rich vanilla. I also get buttery and woody brown sugar caramel and a slight nutty toffee – those toasted pecans again. Is this a breakfast treat??? The elixir’s wood forward notes shine. Strong, seasoned, spicy dry oak with plenty of barrel spice flavors blend into toasted and hazy barrel char. This is pure joy in a glass.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Maker’s Mark PS – ID Dir Cut 6 is a well blended bourbon. I found this evaluation to be especially fun. I enjoyed holding rather large mouthfuls for extended periods of time as the mouth feel is amazing! This liquid is so full, oily and viscous it is a pleasure to drink. In the Glencairn both fat and thin legs return the tawny juice back to the bowl. And its long lasting, well defined crown clings in a nice ring between each sip.
MAKER’S MARK PS- ID DIR CUT 6 FINISH:
Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #6 finishes deep, long and warm. It has the same fortified sherry wine and roasted corn notes sensed on the nose and palate, though much more subdued. The wheatiness also passes through as do the allspice, cinnamon and pepper which balance nicely with dark dried stone fruits. And there’s just enough sweetness left in its burnt, woody caramel to balance the strong, dry, seasoned spicy oak and toast and hazy barrel char. In the empty Glencairn, notes of new leather add complexity to the sweet and woody notes.
MAKER’S MARK PS – ID DIR CUT 6 RATING: 93/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 93/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this distillery, click Maker’s Mark.
WHISKEY TRAITS AND FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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