Category: Wheated Whiskey

Brian’s Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #7 Review

written on 07-July-2019

MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH #7 REVIEW:

Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #7 (MMPS ID-DCB7) is a GREAT bourbon and in my opinion, is superior to the other releases in this group. It ticks most of my taste profile boxes: warm and earthy with minimal floral undertones, a nice balance of spice and sweet, and finishes with plenty of oak. Check out the complete review below as well as those of other Idaho Director’s Cut and Private Select releases to see how they all compare.

MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT – IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH 7 VITAL STATS:

Category: Barrel Finished Kentucky Bourbon
Region: Loretto, KY, USA
Distiller: Maker’s Mark
Mash Bill: 70% corn; 16% soft red winter wheat; 14% malted barley
Barrels are “seasoned” outdoors for nine months, (over a summer) in new American white oak then fired for 40 seconds to achieve #3 char.
MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT – IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH 7 FINISHING STAVES*:
  4  Baked American Pure (P2)
      (Adds brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice)
  1  Seared French Cuvée (Cu)
      (Adds toasty oak and caramel)
  2  Maker’s Mark 46 (46)
      (Adds dried fruit, vanilla and spice)
  3  Roasted French Mocha (Mo)
      (Adds char, maple and cacao)
  0  Toasted French Spice (Sp)
Barrel entry proof: 110
Age: 8 years, 9 weeks
ABV: 54.3% (108.6 Proof)
Price: $69.95 USD in Idaho

Notes from the Maker’s Mark website:
“Maker’s Mark Private Select offers a new take on the Maker’s Mark 46 process … cask-strength Maker’s Mark is aged for nine additional weeks in barrels specially fitted with 10 oak finishing staves … Private Select separates itself from Maker’s Mark 46 … using five different stave types.”

makersmark.com

*Stave Selectors: The Idaho State Liquor Division & Chris Bailey of “The Whiskey Bar – Boise, ID, USA

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I drank this spirit neat, from a Glencairn glass with daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

MMPS ID-DCB7 gives the nose a little tickle of ethanol and a pleasant treat of wine tannins. It is wheaty with a nice aroma of dark, dried cherries, cinnamon apples, allspice (cinnamon, cloves, ginger), and rich vanilla. Its hazy, smoky sweetness blends nicely with warm buttery brown sugar caramel and maple syrup, and closes with a gentle earthiness.

PALATE:

MMPS ID-DCB7 is a warm, gentle, and earthy juice, with the signature Maker’s Mark wheatiness to coat the mouth. There’s plenty of dried cinnamon caramel apples and dark cherries, which work nicely with warm allspice and white pepper. The bourbon’s sweetness comes from cocoa nibs, rich vanilla, and warm buttery brown sugar caramel. The taste buds continue the nose theme with lots of seasoned toasted oak and hazy char.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
This is a solid bourbon, with a viscous and rich buttery mouthfeel. After each sip, big fat legs drip down the inside of the Glencairn back into the mahogany anf henna colored pool.

FINISH:

MMPS ID-DCB7 has a medium long finish. Like all Maker’s bourbons, it has a wheaty essence which plays well with the dark fruit wine tannins. Allspice, white pepper, and rich vanilla are joined by dark molasses, and smoky sweet barrel char of seasoned oak leaves the mouth with a little bite of earthy warmth.

COMPARISON NOTES:

I initially enjoyed an ounce of the three Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut editions at a special release party hosted by Maker’s Mark held at a local Boise, ID bar. Even with less than ideal reviewing conditions at the crowded venue, I rated MMPS ID-DCB7 to be better than MMPS ID-DCB5 and much better than MMPS ID-DCB3. These conclusions held through to my controlled tasting sessions.

MY RATING: 90/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 90/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this distillery, click Maker’s Mark.

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Brian’s Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #3 Review

written on 07-July-2019

MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH #3 REVIEW:

Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #3 (MMPS ID-DCB3) is a fine bourbon and stands well on its own. Its sweet and floral nose doesn’t quite come through to the palate but it finishes long and warm. Read on for comparison notes and a comprehensive review of this tasty dram.

MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT – IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH 3 VITAL STATS:

Category: Kentucky Bourbon
Region: Loretto, KY
Distiller: Maker’s Mark
Mash Bill: Mashbill: 70% corn; 16% soft red winter wheat; 14% malted barley
Barrel Char: #3
MAKER’S MARK PS – ID DIR’S CUT B3 FINISHING STAVES*:
  2  Baked American Pure (P2)
      (Adds brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice)
  4  Seared French Cuvée (Cu)
      (Adds toasty oak and caramel)
  2  Maker’s Mark 46 (46)
      (Adds dried fruit, vanilla and spice)
  2  Roasted French Mocha (Mo)
      (Adds char, maple and cacao)
  0  Toasted French Spice (Sp)
Barrel entry proof: 110
Age: 8 years, 9 weeks
ABV: 54.4% (108.8 Proof)
Price: $69.95 USD in Idaho

From the Maker’s Mark website:
“Maker’s Mark Private Select offers a new take on the Maker’s Mark 46 process … cask-strength Maker’s Mark is aged for nine additional weeks in barrels specially fitted with 10 oak finishing staves … Private Select separates itself from Maker’s Mark 46 … using five different stave types.”

*STAVE SELECTORS: The Idaho State Liquor Division & Chris Bailey of The Whiskey Bar – Boise, ID

FOR THE REVIEW:

I drank this spirit neat, from a Glencairn glass with daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

What a nose on this bourbon; it’s hard to resist sipping it in. My nose sensed the usual quick alcohol burn which then gave way to fruit trees in bloom, fresh picked sweet corn, blueberry jam, dried dark cherries and raisins. Allspice and cinnamon are joined by powdered ginger. There is also a baked component of brown sugared bread, dried cinnamon apples and rich vanilla. The sweetness sensed on the nose is very subdued, but there are hints of brown sugar based caramel as hazy barrel char comes through.

PALATE:

On the palate, the juice does not quite live up to hints detected at the nose. Still this is a nice wheaty bourbon with just enough dark berries, raisins, and sweet dark dried cherries to impress. MMPS ID-DCB3’s spiciness is of allspice, cinnamon and pepper which blend nicely with rich vanilla, buttered brown sugar caramel and light molasses sweetness. The dram has a faint nutty character of cashews and hazelnuts and there is some subtle toasted wood, barrel char and dry oak sawdust present as well.

Balance, Body, Feel, and Look:
MMPS ID-DCB3 is a little unbalanced. On the nose, sweetness and floral notes abound. The bourbon is buttery, pleasant and warm with a little dry burn. But in my mouth it is a bit coppery, and the fruitiness is greatly diminished. Still, I want more.  When swirled, it coats the Glencairn in a thin veil of liquid that shimmers like oil heating in a cast iron skillet, then drops in long thin legs back into the mahogany colored dram.

FINISH:

MMPS ID-DCB3 offers a long, warm finish of blueberry jam, and dark raisins. I also feel a little pepper, vanilla, buttery sugar, and a pleasant barrel char.

COMPARISON NOTES:

I initially enjoyed an ounce of the three Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut editions (created by The Idaho State Liquor Division & Chris Bailey of The Whiskey Bar) at a special release party hosted by Maker’s Mark.  Even with less than ideal reviewing conditions I rated MMPS ID-DCB3 to be a good bourbon, but not on par with its MMPS ID-DCB5 and MMPS ID-DCB7 brothers.

MY RATING: 87/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 87/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this distillery, click Maker’s Mark.

Back to …

Brian’s Whiskey Reviews
Whiskey Reviews