Maker’s Mark The Heart Releases 2024 Wood Finishing Series
Some batches of bourbon can be difficult to name.
Not this one.
It comes from the heart.
Maker’s Mark’s latest offering is called “The Heart Release” because it is inspired by the iconic brand’s distillery team, the people considered the “heart” behind the products made at the Loretto-based facility.
“The Heart Release” is fruity with notes of caramel, maple and chocolate and will be available in US retail stores in July for $74.99.
The 2024 edition is the second part of the distillery’s Wood Finishing Series, “a collection of unique bottlings that use an innovative wood stave finishing technique to highlight the distinctive characteristics already present in the brand’s legendary bourbon,” according to a press release.
The Courier Journal was invited to a sneak peek of the new variant during a recent virtual media tasting.
“It really tells the story of our teams at the distillery,” said Beth Buckner, senior manager of innovation and blending, during the tasting. “They are the makers of your maker’s.”
To develop The Heart Release, Buckner and other members of Maker’s Mark’s innovation team asked the 21 people who distill the bourbon at Star Hill Farm about their favorite aspects of the brand.
They asked, “Tell us what you taste, what you feel and what you experience when you do your work,” Buckner said.
Instead of grains and yeast, there was talk of spices and sweeter flavors and scents.
“It was about celebrating the team and making sure we brought their story to life, because we don’t have Maker’s Mark if we don’t have the distillery team that makes it,” Buckner said.
With this feedback, the team developed a bourbon with a “rich, creamy mouthfeel that is pure enjoyment.” The Heart Release bottles have an alcohol content of 107 to 114 proof.
This installment in the Wood Finishing Series spans five years, with one bourbon released each year. For more information about the series, visit makersmark.com.
Reach food reporter Amanda Hancock at [email protected].
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