Maker's Mark Private Select - Liquor Locker, Hagerstown MD

This sample (courtesy of @paddockjudge) is from a bottle of Maker's Mark Private Select, from Liquor Locker in Hagerstown MD. Maker's Mark's Private Select program allows restaurants, bars and other organizations to choose how many and what kind of oak staves to finish their Maker's Mark in (much like Maker's 46). It will be finished with 10 oak staves (over nine weeks, in cold conditions), one of which is a Maker's 46 stave. The other nine are chosen from the following types: Baked American Pure 2, Seared French Cuvee, Roasted French Mocha and Toasted French Spice (I confess I don't know much about what those mean...)

I don't know what the Liquor Barn chose, only that it is Barrel #66 and was bottled in May 2018.

The colour is a deep reddish copper. On the nose we have mint, heavy oak, mocha, freshly ground coffee, nutmeg and ginger. Plum. Medjool dates. Water brings out big wood smoke, dark honey and wet campfire. Elegant but with a nice punch.

On the palate we have red apple skins, charred oak, green tobacco leaf and cherry compote. 90% dark chocolate. A bit heavy on the mint. Slightly waxy mouthfeel. Water punches everything up a notch. Delicious but perhaps a bit too herbal.

The finish is long and enveloping with cinnamon, nutmeg, red peppercorn and black cherry. This is really good stuff, firmly within the Maker's wheelhouse but with more herbs and spice, without being overly oaky. Side by side with regular Maker's Mark, it is much more robust on the nose and palate; but honestly it could a bit more subtlety, especially on the palate. Side story: I had a bottle of Private Select that I got during our trip to Kentucky in May 2018, but I let it oxidize in sunlight way too long: the colour darkened and the flavour disintegrated (I had enjoyed most of the bottle, I just waited far too long to do a review, which at this point is impossible). I do remember really liking it though; these are certainly worth seeking out, since they are quite unique from each other.

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