Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/674905
106 / the tasting panel /may 2016 HITTING THE MARK: MAKER'S MARK 46 With a small-batch product beloved the world over and a Kentucky distillery that was designated a National Historic Landmark, it would be easy for Maker's Mark to rest on their laurels and reap the benefits of their smooth bourbon, but the best in the business never settle for anything less than perfection. Hence the creation of Maker's 46 (SRP $33), launched in 2010 and the first new product from the Maker's brand since the original whiskey was created. It's a labor of love, as the name comes from the number of trials it took for then Master Distiller Kevin Smith, President Bill Samuels, Jr. and Brad Boswell of Independent Stave to come up with the perfect bourbon. Maker's 46 starts with fully matured Maker's Mark. Ten seared French oak staves are then inserted into the standard barrels and the bourbon is aged for an additional ten weeks in winter, when the bourbon matures more slowly, before being bottled at 47% ABV. The additional aging means Maker's 46 is mellower with more flavor, while the additional oak staves lock in the tannins of the wood that can cause bitterness and impart new flavors to whiskey. —Jesse Hom-Dawson BEAM SUNTORY DRINKIN' WHISKEY AND RYE: KNOB CREEK Post-Prohibition, whiskey had it rough. Recently legal again, whiskey producers began using shorter aging periods for their product, desperate to get it back on the market, which meant milder flavors. And that was the norm until Booker Noe, grandson of Jim Beam, started Knob Creek in 1992. Not one to follow the crowd, Noe aged his bourbon for nine years in newly charred oak bar- rels, longer than most other small-batch whiskies, and bottled it at 100 proof, higher than the typical 80 proof. The result? Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon (SRP $31), a bold, rich-flavored bourbon with a maple sugar nose and long, smooth finish. Not content with having the best-selling super-premium bourbon in the world, in 2012 Knob Creek released Knob Creek Rye Whiskey (SRP $40), bottled at 100 proof just like its bourbon brother. Its first year out the gate, it won Best Rye and a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Whether you drink it neat or in a classic cocktail, this spicy and warm rye upholds Knob Creek's stellar reputation. —J. H. D. CATEGORY REPORT