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

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:
Maker's Mark Private Select Idaho Director's Cut Batch #3 Review

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.

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

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.

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Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch 5 Review

Brian’s Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch 5 Review

written on 07-July-2019

MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH 5 REVIEW:

Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Director’s Cut Batch #5 (MMPS ID-DCB5) has a slight fruity nose, with some nice pastry and barrel aromas.  But once in the mouth, this bourbon comes to life with plenty of cinnamon heat and closes nicely with lots of bourbon warmth.  See below for my full review.

MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT – IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH 5 VITAL STATS:
Maker's Mark Private Select Idaho Director's Cut Batch #5 Review

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.
MAKER’S MARK PRIVATE SELECT – IDAHO DIRECTOR’S CUT BATCH 5 FINISHING STAVES:
  1  Baked American Pure (P2)
      (Adds brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice)
  3  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)
  1  Toasted French Spice (Sp)
       (Adds smoke, coumarin and spice)
Barrel entry proof: 110
Age: 8 years, 9 weeks
ABV: 54.35% (108.7 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.”

Learn more at https://makersmark.com/

*STAVE SELECTORS:

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

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, I shared the juice neat from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

When MMPS ID-DCB5 is brought to the nose, sherry, fruit tree blossoms, fresh picked apples, and hints of maraschino cherry waft from the Glencairn.  Fresh apple cinnamon pastries, butter cream frosting, allspice, and vanilla custard quickly follow.  Further nosing brings simple and gentle honeycomb which combine nicely with strong fresh-cut oak and hazy barrel spice.

PALATE:

This whiskey is strong and hot, but the alcohol burn is not unpleasant.  In the mouth, it presents wheaty, with a dark stone fruitiness and lots of heat featuring cinnamon apple, red hot candies, and black pepper. The juice is calmed by a little sweet brown sugar backed by old leather, seasoned oak barrel spice, and char.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
MMPS ID-DCB5 is a spicy but well-blended bourbon with a creamy mouthfeel that departs the tongue and throat with a tickle.  When swished in the glass, clinging droplets give way to long slender legs which fall back into the mahogany and henna tinted liquid.

FINISH:

This Idaho Director’s Cut finishes with medium length. It lingers with warmth, wheatiness, and has plenty of black pepper to let you know it is there.

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 held at a local Boise, ID bar.   Even with less than ideal reviewing conditions at the crowded venue, I rated MMPS ID-DCB5 to be better than MMPS ID-DCB3, but for my tastes, not quite as good as the  MMPS ID-DCB7 offering.  These conclusions held through to my controlled tasting sessions.

MY RATING: 88/100

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

Click 88/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this distillery, click Maker’s Mark.

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Maker’s Mark Private Select ID Director’s Cut Batch #5 Review

Hannah’s Maker’s Mark Private Select ID Director’s Cut Batch #5 Review

Original review written December 3, 2019

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

A good bourbon, to be sure; however, of the private selects that came to Boise, Idaho (Batches 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7), this one is not my favorite, but my third favorite. Independent of its siblings though, this is an incredibly enjoyable spirit. Read my Maker’s Mark Private Select ID Director’s Cut Batch #5 Review here! 89/100

VITALS:
Maker's Mark Private Select ID Director's Cut Batch #5 Review

– Made in: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Maker’s Mark Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Private Select
– Age: 8 yrs. 9 weeks
– Mash Bill: Corn=70%; Soft red winter wheat=16%; Malted Barley=14%
– Casks: Char #3
– Barrel Entry Proof: 110
– ABV: 54.35% (108.7 proof) – varies by bottle
– Maker’s Mark Private Select Idaho Division Cut Batch #5 (MMPS ID-CB5) finishing staves:
3 Seared French Cuvée (Cu) to provide toasty oak and caramel
3 Roasted French Mocha (Mo) to provide char, maple and cacao
2 Maker’s Mark 46 (46) to provide dried fruit, vanilla and spice
1 Baked American Pure (P2) to provide brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice
1 Toasted French Spice (Sp) to provide smoke, coumarin and spice
– Stave Selectors: The Idaho State Liquor Division and Chris Bailey of “The Whiskey Bar” in Boise, Idaho, USA
– Price: $69.95 USD in Idaho

Visit makersmark.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the juice neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

I close my eyes and picture sitting in the stark, white field of snow and ice in the Arctic night. Every sound is blissfully muffled by the thick blanket of snow. The skies are perfectly clear with the stars shining brighter than ever, obscured only by the colorful Aurora Borealis as it dances in vibrant green, pink, blue and yellow ribbons, across the an inky sky.

Photo by Scott Rock on Unsplash

NOSE:

The nose is well blended, and it takes some serious nosing to discern any flavors. Aside from a soft alcohol bite, there is plenty of vanilla in the glass, along with caramel. Fruit is subtle but a little apple-y. Otherwise, it’s mostly sugar variants, with maple syrup chiming in as the glass warms. Still, it isn’t overwhelmingly sweet, which is good news for those of us not afflicted with a sweet tooth. Very little, if any, dark fruit present and the blend is too good to do much discerning. Maybe a chocolate covered cherry.

PALATE:
Maker's Mark Private Select ID Director's Cut Batch #5 Review

– Mouth Feel: Big and tingly; very nice!
– Balance: I really like this one for its solidity and complexity.
– Visual: Auburn in color accompanying a crown that has fast-dropping, thin legs.

– Taste: Despite not being there on the nose, huckleberries and blueberries come forth, only to be chased by a gang of cherries. The alcohol shows itself a bit more here as well but hovering at around 108 proof (this bottle), it isn’t aggressive. There is a mild undercurrent of oak here too that mixes with a couple of prunes to make everything else pop a bit more.

A Kentucky chew livens up the oak and alcohol, letting some maple in, as well. Very nice!

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Long. My mouth and throat stay warm to however long I pause between sips. The warmth does not go further, preventing me from giving it an exceptionally long finish.

– Between sips: The oak abandons its prune partner to run away with the apple from the nose, but again, it isn’t intense – more like you are left with the impression of apples.

– No More: The darker fruits disappear the further I get into the glass, and a little bit of carameled apple with the oak still keeping the apply company. It’s a bit fresher, but very enjoyable all the same. There may be a maraschino cherry if I really concentrate.

The empty Glencairn is a warm, oak sawdust. Very rich and keeps my nose glued to the rim. One of my favorite empty glass aromas.

WORTH THE PRICE?

Yes

RATING: 89/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

Click 89/100 to access other whiskeys with this rating.
To access other whiskies from this distillery, click Maker’s Mark.

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