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:
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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