The Scotchy Bourbon Boys
The Scotchy Bourbon Boys love Whiskey and every thing about the industry! Martin "Super Nash", Jeff "Tiny", Rachel "Roxy" Karl "Whisky" and Chris "CT" all make up The Scotchy Bourbon Boys! Join us in talking everything and anything Whiskey, with the innovators, and distillers around the globe. Go behind the scenes of making great whiskey and learn how some of the best in the whiskey industry make their product! Remember good whiskey means great friends and good times! Go out and Live Your Life Dangerously!
The Scotchy Bourbon Boys
The Wood Finishing Series: Makers Mark's Heart and Keepers Releases
The Scotchy Bourbon Boys dive deep into Maker's Mark's Wood Finishing Series, comparing the 2024 Heart Release and 2025 Keepers Release while exploring the brand's evolution from its wheated bourbon origins to its innovative stave-finishing techniques.
• Wood Finishing Series represents Maker's Mark's expanding approach to bourbon making through French oak stave finishing
• Heart Release (111.7 proof) showcases the distillery team with fruit-forward notes of caramel, maple and chocolate
• Keepers Release (109.3 proof) honors the warehouse teams with bold oak and toasted sweetness characteristics
• The Maker's Mark Ambassador Program allows fans to follow a barrel's journey and eventually purchase bottles from their own barrel
• Both limited releases demonstrate how Maker's has evolved while maintaining the smooth character Bill Samuels Sr. originally intended
• Dark Arts Whiskey House is taking finishing techniques to new levels by sourcing specific oak from individual French forests
• The bourbon industry continuously evolves as consumer preferences shift toward higher proof, more complex offerings
Visit www.scotchybourbonboys.com for Scotchy Bourbon Boys merchandise including t-shirts and Glencairns, and find us on all major social media platforms and podcast formats.
From humble beginnings in the rolling hills of Kentucky to becoming a globally recognized brand with that iconic red wax seal, Maker's Mark exemplifies how tradition and innovation can brilliantly coexist. The Scotchy Bourbon Boys take you behind the scenes of Maker's Mark's Wood Finishing Series, exploring how this historic distillery continues to push boundaries while honoring its wheated bourbon legacy.
The 2024 Heart Release (111.7 proof) and 2025 Keepers Release (109.3 proof) each tell a unique story through their distinct flavor profiles. The Heart Release celebrates the distillery team with fruit-forward notes of caramel, maple and chocolate, while the Keepers Release honors the warehouse teams with bold oak and toasted sweetness. Through meticulous tasting, we break down how the strategic placement of French oak staves transforms the classic Maker's profile in unexpected and delightful ways.
Beyond the bottles themselves, we uncover the rich heritage of Star Hill Farm, where the Maker's Mark story began in 1953 when Bill Samuels Sr. set out to create a more refined, palatable bourbon without the harsh bite common in whiskeys of that era. The distillery's commitment to quality shines through their Ambassador Program, which allows fans to follow a barrel's journey from filling to bottling—culminating in the opportunity to purchase bottles from your very own barrel.
The evolution of Maker's Mark mirrors broader trends in bourbon appreciation, with today's enthusiasts embracing higher proofs and more complex flavor profiles than ever before. Through our "Barrel Bottle Breakdown" rating system, we evaluate what makes these limited releases special and why they've become so sought-after among collectors and casual drinkers alike. Join us for this spirited exploration of how Maker's Mark continues to innovate while staying true to its roots.
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Middle West Spirits was founded in 2008, focusing on elevating the distinct flavors of the Ohio River Valley. Their spirits honor their roots and reflect their originality as makers, their integrity as producers and their passion for crafting spirits from grain to glass. Their Michelon Reserve line reflects their story from the start to the bottle, to your glass, with unique weeded and rye bourbons, and also rye and wheat whiskeys, the Michelon brand is easy to sip.
Speaker 2:It might be a grain-to-glass experience, but I like to think of it as uncut and unfiltered from their family to yours. Drinking buddies sipping on cigars we feel it wild. We're short from the wash. How could we do with drinking every drink, man? We're caught on some cheap club. We're technically true. Yeah, we're the Tashi-Buddy boys Raising some hell. We're making some noise. Yeah, we're the Tashi-Buddy boys Raising some hell to make it some more. Get out of the scotch and dirty boys. We're here to have fun. We're here to have fun, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, welcome back to another podcast of the Scotchy Bourbon Boys. Wait, we're having problems. Will someone check on Facebook to make sure that you can hear me? Someone's saying they can't hear me, but I would imagine that they should be able to hear me. I can monitor that real quick to make sure. Walker, can you hear? Okay, thank you. Uh, is anyone had the vanilla bean cheesecake private select from maker's mark picked up, when it's there two weeks ago? I haven't opened it yet. I have not. But, uh, walker, are you saying, okay, you're good now? Good, uh, that should be good.
Speaker 1:Um, so tonight we are doing the maker's Mark the wood finishing series. We're going to give it a little bit of a history on that. We're going to be tasting and opening this 2025. Let's see, I want that forward. Yeah, let's take this back back, back back. Perfect and going through that, perfect and going through that.
Speaker 1:But first we are the Scotchy Bourbon Boys wwwscotchybourbonboyscom. For all things Scotchy Bourbon Boys. You can get our t-shirts, you can get our glens. You also can get the t-shirts and glens by just leaving a comment on Facebook and youtube. I'll get your address. Uh, we'll set up the venmo and you can pick it up. Uh, we also have, um, a barrel picks right now from one of our sponsors, which is the lillian sinclair and the william dalton, available to anybody who would want to uh, get your hands on this. Give me a call. And also, and I can set you up, the Lillian Sinclair is the last from the Spirits of French. Lick is the last batch or barrel that Alan Bishop was associated with his own whiskey before he went off to old homestead.
Speaker 1:We're going to quick. Do our other sponsors. We've got Middle West Spirits. They're in Columbus, ohio. This is on the shelf in 48 states. The cast strength that they're releasing of their Michelon Reserve brand has been fantastic. They've got this straight weeded bourbon whiskey. They got straight weeded whiskey and then they also have a great pumpernickel rye all at cast strength. You got to check them out. Uh, what they're doing down there, uh, in columbus, having their two distilleries, their massive uh distillery, producing right now. They've been doing it for about a year. Can't wait till we get to taste some of the stuff out of there. But what Ryan Lang has set up and what he's doing, um, you got to check it out. Middle West Spirits in Columbus Ohio, and if you visit their original craft distillery. They also have a fantastic fine dining restaurant called the Service Bar, so check that out.
Speaker 1:Then we also have Whiskey Thief Distilling Company with their two locations their one main location at three boys farms in frankfurt, kentucky. A fantastic experience that when you go there it is a barrel pick all day, every day, and you basically get to choose from five different barrels uh, thief, your own, uh, taste them, taste them again, and if you like one of those barrels, for the cost of emission of a tour, you can then bottle your own in 375s or 750s. Uh, it's a fantastic, fantastic experience, uh, that you don't want to miss out on. And they also have uh experience now in louisville, kentucky, in the new loo area, their tasting room exact same thing barrel pick all day, every day. Remember whiskey thief and the scotchy bourbon boys are uncut and unfiltered also. Then we have um rosewood bourbons and Rye's. You got Jason Giles who has basically worked out distilling, which hasn't hit the shelves yet, but he's also purchased barrels that have aged in Indiana and Kentucky. He drives them down in a semi 946 miles to I want to say, houston, texas, and he lets them age there for at least one of those hot seasons in Texas and he comes out with some fantastic bourbons and rye. So you got to check out rosewood bourbon and rye. Uh, alan bishop is also one of our sponsors and he does.
Speaker 1:If you have ghosts, you have everything podcast, plus the one piece of the time distilling institute on youtube, and if you are a home distiller or have any interest in home distilling, that's the show for you. Love and history of bourbon making that he has then portrayed into his own, uh right back into his own distilling and it's fantastic. So, anyways, all right. So, uh, there we go. For that. We were the scotchy bourbon boys.
Speaker 1:Remember, we're on facebook, youtube, instagram and x. You can watch us there, see us there, see our posts, see, see our shorts, see our lives. And then we're also on all the major podcast formats Apple, iheart, spotify mainly, but anywhere you want to listen to us. But no matter how you do it, whether you listen or you watch us, remember, listen like, comment, subscribe and leave good feedback. Um, that feedback means a lot to us, especially if you can go to apple and leave a. You like what you're, what you're uh seeing tonight. Just please go to apple, check that out, and that will help with us becoming higher than the number three whiskey podcast in the world according to.
Speaker 1:And I will get that. Let's see according to. And we can do this right here. I am going to share the screen. Let's do that according to. It's great, but you can do this. I had it here. Okay, we'll hit share and then we'll hit of the 60. It's according to Feedspot, of the 60 podcasts, the 60 best whiskey podcasts in the world, the Scotchy Bourbon Boys are ranked third at feed spot. So check that out. Uh, the link is there on. I included in on the link on youtube and I'll put one down on facebook when I'm finished. You can check us out and the other podcasts there. But that's really kind of cool. I, I, I love that part of it. So, so, being third, I am honored, we are honored and we love the fact that we've been ranked third. I don't know how it is, okay.
Speaker 1:So Hash Green chug the bottle. My boy, yeah, and then the guys out. Yeah, that's what I do. I chug bottles on the podcast. You know it's funny because if you watch early, early on, when I used to be on TikTok, I did do a bottle chug of, I believe, elijah Craig, but that just got me, it was Elijah Craig toasted and that just got me in trouble on TikTok. So no bottle chugs here, my friend. We've got Mashi. It's on Mr Smith. It's like I on mr smith. Uh, it's like I don't, whatever. It's like I have no idea where all this political stuff just comes on from the. It's like the we, us, uh, people here, uh, we. We keep our whiskey and our politics separate, especially here on the podcast, because everybody, I believe the whiskey is the ultimate.
Speaker 1:What would you say? Go between people with differences. If you're sharing a pour with somebody, you've got something in common. It seems to fix a lot of problems. So that's where we're at there. Um, so here we are. Uh, we're at the maker's mark. Uh, we've got the, these two wood finishing series.
Speaker 1:But honestly, um, one of the cool things about maker's mark is becoming an ambassador and they have a program there and you could sign up on mercury. Chug them both, yeah, okay, hey, gate said hi. Um, what I wanted to say is that their ambassador program is pretty. Why is that? Oh, because we shared the screen, so now I'm not getting any. So, wow, let's just keep going that way. We'll go that way. All right, sanford Joseph, okay, oh, I can't say that I have, but I have the same favorite. Mine is the okay Ice Cream Social. So, all right, yeah, I do, we have Ice Cream Social. But the ambassador program is really cool.
Speaker 1:You can download the app or you can go to Maker's Mark and sign up for their ambassador program. It's what they do, is they? Basically, you sign up and they fill a barrel and put your name on it with, I believe, six or seven other people, and you get updates on that barrel throughout time. Plus, you get a certificate. You get all this, a letter and everything as part of being in the ambassador program and after the barrel matures which my barrel should be maturing you can buy bottles from that barrel. It's the barrel that when I first started in 2019, it went up. I can't wait. I'm going to buy all the barrels I possibly can from that barrel.
Speaker 1:Maker's Mark, these barrels are aged till they're ready. It's a little bit more aged. It's a single barrel, so it's really kind of cool. It's not a blend like Maker's Mark. It comes out the barrel, out the barrel. So fantastic, fantastic program and it's all.
Speaker 1:Honestly, it's it's free and I've gotten uh, christmas ornaments, I've gotten, socks, I've gotten. There's so, so much that they were able. You know that you've gotten through them through this ambassador program, plus every year that you go there to keep up, and this is my, that you saw my one ambassador, but this is my makers mark ambassador. That now I didn't. I went there in 2025, which is crazy, but you get these pins, so they went to these pins and then you used to get the ribbons. So I really love that part of the program and that part of the program. So, up until your barrel is ready, but being an ambassador, once your barrel comes due and you go down and you get the free ambassador tour, but we're going to be going down and getting the tour. But also we are going to be hopefully having Rob Samuels on the podcast that day when we go down and we'll celebrate that the barrel came due.
Speaker 1:And the scotchie this is the scotchie bourbon boys um, you could buy more than the nine bottles that they normally prepare. Okay, but that's really cool. Um, yeah, well, if you are an ambassador, they did not close it, they, they, you can get up to it's. It's there, we were there, you could. It's a couple podcasts ago with Amanda Humphrey that we did. And then we're talking let's see Blake. Oh my gosh, I knew, let's see if I go down. Let's see how far that was. Abe, all right, I can't, I'm looking for it. Blake Layfield is their master distiller, so that's kind of cool, um, but have missed. But have missed everything. I need to figure out what to do. I've been signed up but have missed everything. Oh, okay, anyways, so when we were there, we were there, uh, last time when we had amanda humphries on and she's their event coordinator and she is in charge just the in charge of a lot of stuff helping with blending and helping with everything around the distillery, helping with the farm. The farm is amazing. That is one thing. That's really kind of cool. The farm there and I've got this is a little bit older, but it still is good.
Speaker 1:For let's see what I did. Oh, my God, I just I'm looking, all right, I thought I wait, did I, did? I, did I? I don't know? No, no, no, nope, that's the. How do you lose your glasses? The glasses should be in this area. Did I lose them? I do not see the glasses. So that's going to be. I did not take the glasses anywhere, all right. So, oh, there they are, fell on the floor. So we'll get the glasses off the floor, because that's very important to do the read off the floor, because that's very important to do the read. Uh, for all the all you new guys, this is about how it goes all the time we're just hanging out and at the end, uh, it becomes kind of a a party.
Speaker 1:So let me, let me read from michael jackson's whiskey the definite, the definitive world guide scotch bourbon whiskey, new edition. This, I believe, came out in 20, I want to say 2019, but I will let you know, let's see. And so he definitely. I have no idea what the hell that is Interesting. My wife has come home. Let's see. It was updated, he had passed and he had done the world guide and this was the new edition. So, um, it's like maker's mark, founded in 1805, it's owned by centauri. Now it used to be Beam Centauri, but it's Centauri method, column and pot stills. Capacity 1.8 million gallons, but I do believe they have much more capacity now.
Speaker 1:So American's first premium specialty bourbon of the modern era, a soft and easy dram, lies hidden in the rolling hills of Marion County. The distillery site is one of Kentucky's oldest. In the rolling hills of Marion County. The distillery site is one of Kentucky's oldest, amid the rolling hills of Marion County, in a broad and fertile hollow with sycamore trees, standing sentinel in the organic cluster of buildings that comprise Maker's Mark Distillery. Maker's Mark occupies one of Kentucky's oldest whiskey-making sites, dating back to 18055, and is designated a National Historic Landmark. The black and red trim buildings straddle the banks of Hardin Creek, the stream that dissects the serene valley floor of Star Hill Farm. On the road leading down to the creek, the visitor's pass is the Courthouse, one of America's oldest remaining retail package stores. In a period before the dark cloud of prohibition, marion County neighbors would swing by in their horse and buggy and have their corks jugs filled from the whiskey barrels inside. A special southern alchemy takes place at Maker's Mark, an alchemy that creates a truly handmade whiskey, america's first premium quality bourbon of the modern era.
Speaker 1:The president of Maker's Mark is Rob Samuels, who took over for the charismatic and inventive Bill Samuels Jr in 2011. Samuels is the eighth generation Kentucky bourbon maker and the link stretches back to his ancestors, stretches back to his ancestors Rob Samuels of the 1780s, robert Samuels of the 1780s, neighbor of Baptist preacher, entrepreneur and pioneering whiskey maker, elijah Craig. In 1953, bill Samuels Sr bought the Star Hill Farm 200 acres of fertile farmland with an old country distillery on site and a deep spring-fed lake on the hill above it. Walker, you tell me what the name of the lake is now. Bill Sr had no interest in selling the pedestrian bourbon of his competitors, so he scrapped the old family recipe and set out to produce a premium sipping bourbon. My dad's goal was to create a bourbon that was more refined, palatable and yet flavorful, explains Bill Jr, something that did not have the hot aftertaste traditionally associated with bourbon. The purpose was not about money, it was about bringing good taste to bourbon, and he's designated it for a palate of one. Himself. Bill Sr experimented with different grains for bourbon, developing a recipe based on locally grown corn, winter wheat, softer and gentler flavor than the traditional spicy rye and malted barley.
Speaker 1:Mr Samuels, meanwhile, came up with the name Maker's Mark, based on the tradition of English pewter markers who put their marks on their finest pieces. The mark of bill samuel still decorates every bottle and as does another mrs samuel's innovation the hand-dipped wax seal that spills down the neck of maker's mark bottle. So right here you can see people on, you can on the audio. But there's that embossed in the glass, their stamp and then every single bottle and this is dipped in red wax and it drips down the side. So you get to, in some cases, do this yourself, they'll talk about it. Came up with an okay tradition, okay, okay.
Speaker 1:In 1958, the first barrel of Maker's Mark handmade whiskey spelled without an E in tribute to the Samuels' Scottish ancestry, because Scotch is spelled without the E and Irish is with and American is with. But this is the one exception in America where it's spelled without the E. And it was ready for the market. Sales of the early makers were gradual and local, spreading slowly by word of mouth among the whiskey connoisseurs of Kentucky. By 1980, maker's Mark had become a Kentucky icon, bill Samuels Jr says. And then the Wall Street Journal ran a front page article about us that year and the phone rang off the hook. The article was huge for us. It created consumer interest outside Kentucky and gave the brand credibility. Maker's Mark was acquired by Beam Global some years back and now a part of Beam Suntory, which then became now Suntory Suntory also owns Jim Beam.
Speaker 1:Maturation is in black metal side warehouses ranging from three to six stories and Makers is one of the rare distilleries that rotates barrels in the same warehouse. It's a costly and labor-intensive process. In the early part of the new millennium the company broke from tradition with the wonderful new whiskey Maker's 46. The numbers did not refer to the strength of its proof or 47 ABV, but to the specific tasting and charring of the wood used in the maturation process, which involves emptying the casks, adding French oak staves and refilling for further maturation. Maker's Marks has a stylish, modern visitor center and a gift shop which includes a wax dipping booth so the visitors can dip and seal their own bottles. So there you go, man. That is kind of. Matt Lyson says he's an ambassador. I suggest anybody who's listening to go and be an ambassador because honestly it's really kind of. It's a fantastic thing.
Speaker 1:But let's get back to this. This is the wood finishing series, which is similar. So what happens in the wood finishing series is exactly what happens in makers. Uh, 46 is the makers, 46 is the staves that they use. French, they use a bunch of different, um, french oak, they use american, they use all different types to come up with their barrel, private selects.
Speaker 1:But in this case the wood finishing series is the Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey barrel finished with 10 virgin oak staves and maker certified corp misting. So I've got a little bit of that on. This is one thing, because for the I don't have it on the, I have it on the heart batch. This is the heart release and let me share that on the screen for everybody. That is on and we'll go over here. This is a breaking bourbon, my one of my favorite places. Um, it is straight bourbon, finished with virgin oak straves. Uh, centauri, maker's mark. The heart was released on july of 2024. 111.7 proof. No age statement. Mash bill 70 corn, 16 wheat and 14 malted barley. Amber color. Okay, maker's mark wood finishing series a collection of bourbons that undergo a wood stave finishing technique that is meant to enhance distinctive characteristics already present in the brand's iconic bourbon.
Speaker 1:The previous set of five releases in the wood finishing series were considered chapter one. The heart release kicks off chapter two and focuses on the teams behind the creation of maker's mark bourbon according to maker's mark. This year's release is meant to showcase the unique taste vision inspired by the distillery team. The bourbon is finished with two different types of virgin french oak staves 10 staves each, with one set inserted in the bottle for five weeks and the other for nine weeks. The finishing takes place in the distillery's limestone cellar where maker's mark cellar aged is aged. So this is really kind of cool how this finishing series works.
Speaker 1:And, um, this, the 24. Now this release here and I'm going to read about that. Hopefully now I'm going to get off the share because I do not need to keep sharing that. There we go and we're back here for the second chapter of our limited released wood finishing series. Now, this is for now.
Speaker 1:That was the heart release, okay, of our limited. Okay for the keepers release. It says series pursues unique taste visions that celebrate those who craft our handmade bourbon at star hill farm the makers of makers. The keepers release is a one-of-a-kind expression inspired by the people who oversee the maturation of our whiskey, the true, true keepers of Maker's Mark. Through cold winters and hot Kentucky summers, they deploy a deep knowledge of the aging process, hand-rotating casks to ensure every single drop of our whiskey emerges from the barrel. At its very best, this is a bold expression with hints of oak toasted sweetness. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we have enjoyed making it. So that is the Keeper's Release.
Speaker 1:Now this one which is the Heart Release that the makers of our makers, if you will, in this 2024 release known as the heart release, will have crafted a one of a kind expression that celebrates our team that distills our whiskey. This team is the center, the heart of, if you will, of our whiskey making process. This stage in the process served to guide all other stages, ensuring our taste vision is realized fruit forward with caramel, maple and chocolate notes. This expression features a rich, creamy mouthfeel that it's a pure delight. We hope you enjoy this one as much as they enjoyed making it. So that's the two of them. Now I am.
Speaker 1:That gets us to the maker's mark and I gotta get back to comments. Doing all this is older than walking forward. Oh, let's see, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Hi, bro, hey, uno, barrelproof. No, I believe the heart release was a 111. I want to say the keep. I do believe they keep it there, but let me see. Want to say the keep, I do believe they keep it there, but let me see. Um, this one is 109.3 for the keeper, so a little bit less. Um, warehouse wh2-5, it is 109.3. Release, a two of five 109. Okay, 10 virgin oak stays and, uh, the mash bill would be the same as I read on on both of these, because it's the maker's mark mash bill.
Speaker 1:So that brings us to this part and this section of the podcast, and it is the old louisville whiskey company's barrel bottle breakdown. The Old Louisville Whiskey Company's Barrel Bottle Breakdown. This section of the Scotchy Bourbon Boys is brought to you by the Old Louisville Whiskey Company in Louisville, kentucky. Amin Khar there does a great job of purchasing barrels. He's done it for a long time and he purchased those barrels and then he bottles them right there while you're there at his distillery. He's just added a brand new pot still so that he can say that he's at the distillery. But you got to go see Amin at Old Louisville Whiskey Company. Tell them the Scotchy Bourbon Boys. You know this is where you heard about it, but what Amin does there is a fantastic job and if you've never been able to thief or get into a barrel getting over to Amin at Old Louisisville whiskey company, um, there's a good chance you're going to be able to taste something right from the barrel and even bottle your own right from the barrel, just like you can. So, um, tonight's barrel bottle breakdown is of the keeper's Blend 2025.
Speaker 1:This bottle is going to be put up against our Barrel Bottle Breakdown rating scale, which consists of nose, body, taste and finish. But the Barrel Bottle Breakdown is a series of knocks on a barrel that we put out and the most knocks that you can get for the nose or the aroma or the smell, is four Four knocks for that category. The most knocks you can get for the body is four knocks for that category. But in the taste and the finish you can get up to five knocks. And that is because, if it just what we've evolved the rating scale to be, so that's a total of 18. But if there is one exceptional category, you can add a, but up up to it to just one per time. So a perfect score is 19 out of 18 for exceptional bourbons. But I'm going to tell you honestly, I'm going to tell you that this right here and I don't know why it's doing that it shouldn't be doing that Well, let's get that in this particular bottle right here.
Speaker 1:I purchased on Sunday. I purchased this bottle last year and I wonder what's happening with the internet, with the YouTube. I hope I don't lose it because it's absolutely doing really well tonight. But this bottle right here Sunday between me and Roxy we've got this at least a third gone. This is a good bottle.
Speaker 1:So I was excited to do the barrel bottle breakdown of Of Makers, the Keepers Release of 2025. So let's get this going. I have this great. There's the pewter stamp Of the Star Hill Farm SIVs, which is four. This is Hand blown glass that when we did the podcast, Amanda Humphries gifted us this glass. It's special from that and we are going to taste this in that glass. But remember we also have the Scotchy Bourbon Boys Glencairns. If you need one of those, get a hold of me for that. But I'm going gonna put it in this maker's mark awesome glass.
Speaker 1:And I was like I said, first I'm gonna do the barrel bottle breakdown and then I'm gonna compare it to last year's release. Um, how they drop in those staves is pretty damn cool. Uh, I wonder what is going on. Uh, let me try something real quick. I'm gonna text my wife. Let's see, are you on the internet? There you go? All right, get back here. Let's see it seems to be. Let's see, seems to be. Let's see it's still working, but it's all. Uh, I swear to god, is it okay? Let me see if that's a the camera I must have. Maybe that's the camera right there, but I'm looking. Am I gonna look at? Look at that. That is not blurry. So whatever's happening, um, with the internet now she said she's not, so hopefully I get back over here and there we go. All right, anyways, all right, so we'll back at this. So we'll start the barrel bottle breakdown now.
Speaker 1:Um, everybody got it in their glass. They all do. You all have something. I gave her a glass in return. All right, the nose on this. Let's see, it's had breathing time. This is perfect. It's got a nice. There's a nice oaky, almost like a wine, but there's a, a caramel apple and the apple is strong and the nose has a really, really fresh. For 109 proof, it's got a really, really fresh. I'm gonna switch over here back into, switch back into that. All right, there we go. Now it's feeling better, but the nose is apple and fruity. Now, I did pour a decent pour and this is not a glen.
Speaker 1:So, um, when you're looking at what it does in your glass and how it the, the body of it, the, the one telltale is you read the legs. It's when you it coats the side of the glass and then what? How it drips back down, tells you how thick and the um, the viscosity of the actual bourbon which tends to, when you get some really nice legs dropping back into that glass, forming, you know, a longer leg you get. It tends to have a little bit more um, a better mouthfeel, which is part of that body. Um, I also rate body based off what it does in the glass like this. But I also rate the body based off of how much the flavor spreads out throughout your whole mouth. It's cheeks, you know, a full.
Speaker 1:If you were going to give a body at a full four or with a bit up, the flavor would have to. It has to go and you have to feel it in your cheeks, on the roof of your mouth, underneath your tongue, the bottom back of your throat. It the flavor has that's. That's to me what the body is. So here we go. I'm gonna taste it. Wow, when I taste, and you can see what that's doing in that glass, how long those legs are, there's a cherry. So the first part is definitely on the front of your mouth, on the front of your palate. I'm gonna do this again.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:On the front of your palate there's a ton, a ton of caramel, but then as you go and you go back to that back palate, then it picks up a little bit of cinnamon, there's an apple aspect of it, but then there's also a really, really sweet um, like a frosting, um. It goes from caramel to like a sugary frosting with, then gets the. The hug is really, really full. You taste it in your cheeks, you taste it roof of your mouth. Everything the body is fantastic. The flavor is everywhere and I would say that in that all, all of that, you pick up the flavor of the wood also. There's some of those wood talons, tannins in there. Now, let's see about this one more time. There's a lot of maker's mark. Honestly, there's a ton of maker's mark, at least the ounce. The glass is made from recycled maker's mark bottles blown into shape by um, a specific artist. Yes, a fantastic glass body. Three. Okay, we just cracked the 2025, okay, so you're, you're drinking it right now with me, right now, matt right, all right now. The finish is still there's a little bit of cherry, like cherry apple, but the wood is. There's a decent amount of wood there and the part that stays for a while is that oaky flavor. Now, if you are a fan of a chardonnay, this is, this is a fantastic, fantastic whiskey, because the sweetness at one point changes from sweet on that finish and it's there cinnamony. You pick up some of that like cherry apple and then you pick up the, the wood. I would say mid to long palette. So all right. So here we go. I love the freshness of this nose and so I'm gonna go with a three out of four out of the freshness because of that apple kind of flavor, whatever freshness that's existing. Three bangs or not bangs. Three knocks, all right. Three knocks on that body. It goes everywhere. I would have to say I won't get, it doesn't get. I would say that the body, this one is a 109, it's Maker's Mark, it fills every aspect of you. Pick up that Maker's Mark profile. I got to go with a four on the body, randy, I think's a little. I mean it hits, it's not a butt up up, it's not one of those that you could give like a lot of the barrel strength stuff, but this one. Seven out of eight, all right.
Speaker 1:We go to the big, the big categories, the taste, where you maker's mark with extra caramel, then, uh, a little bit of, a little bit of, uh, like a apple kind of chardonnay kind of cinnamony thing that happens. So, from the taste, I, this, this is, this is fantastic. I will give it the full five on. This is what I love about bourbon, and this one's at a five now we're talking. So right now we've lost one point. So out of 13, it's 12 out of 13.
Speaker 1:Yeah, um, I don't know. Matt says they might step. I just think the batches all are different. I mean, we pulled out a batch out of there when we did it that you get when you do the farm tour for everybody, and that one I was able to pick up and dip myself.
Speaker 1:Um, I will say that where this differs, where like a seller, aged excels beyond this, is on the finish. The finish is good and so, like, if you're, if you're talking, it's, it's, it's good, but it's probably medium and in the end it finishes with an oaky flavor that I would get with, maybe, like it. Like there is the sweetness happening of the apple and the cherry, but then it goes to this oaky Chardonnay kind of finish and I kind of like, I like it, but I'm not going to say that that's what I want from a bourbon. So of the five, I give this one a three. Here we go. I don't know if y'all can hear that, but that's, I'm kind of hitting that on. Pretty good as those knocks are.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to rate this year's 2005 Keeper's Release, maker's Mark. I have given it 15 out of 18. Because I think that would have been 15 out of 18. I think that's, yeah, that would have been, yep, 15 out of 18. So pretty damn good whiskey. Um, thank you for old listening to the old louisville barrel.
Speaker 1:Bottle breakdown for tuesday, april 22nd uh, makers mark. Keepers release 2025. There you go. So we got people from all over the place. Uh, on youtube and whatnot. Um, what did you think about it, matt? Uh, I'll probably put that. Put that part out. Uh, now I'm going to put this up against last. Now this has only been open since Sunday the keeper's batch.
Speaker 1:Let's put the two there. Put one here, one here. Let's do it that way and I am going to put. I'm going to try. I haven't tried this for a while, but I'm going to put a little bit of this. Uh, heart release. Now I'm I'm definitely biased. I might be able to get Roxy to come down here and pour me a blind on the two. I know what they are right now. Let me see. Yeah, totally different Both of them, although that heart release is pretty damn good Off the first, after it sat.
Speaker 1:Okay, so the Keeper's Release isn't as maker's marky. The heart release is very that has evolved into something really good. That has evolved into something really good a little bit more cinnamony than I think the 111 proof. The heart release is a lot more like the classic barrel strength bourbon that you get. I'm telling you, in my opinion, the 2025 pulls in right next to each other, is pulling in something that's a little bit different that I like better. They're both damn good. Uh, after it sat for a little bit, once it's open, has turned into a. There's a. It has way more oak. It's got that rich charred oak that you pick up in a beam or on any cast strength. That's what the Heart Release has. That group of people love Kentucky Cast Strength bourbon. That's what the Heart Release tastes like. Where this Keeper's Batch, it has way more white frosting. The sweetness is not the classic Kentucky barrel sweetness and the two of them are both fantastic. But if I had to pick between the two. I'm pulling in this. Uh, keepers, it'll be interesting to see after I let it sit in the bottle like that for a while. All right, so we got that out of the way. Um, I did want to talk about a little bit tonight about what I did last Thursday. It's kind of cool.
Speaker 1:The state of Ohio likes to include whiskey podcasters, influencers on their state picks. That they do. They do a lot. Picking a barrel with the state of Ohio is completely different than picking a barrel with a group or for yourself. When you're picking for a group or yourself, you're trying to pick that one barrel. I like to think that, as the Scotchy Bourbon Boys or when I'm on barrel picks, where you're picking that one barrel for Kentucky Bourbon Festival, the distillery is putting out some damn good barrels, because what you want to showcase at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival or through the podcast a podcast where you're going to come through and promote the brand when you make the pick you want to have good barrels available for the publicity. So a lot of the times when we're picking, we get to pick some damn good barrels, and the same thing with the state of Ohio. But the state of Ohio is always picking multiple barrels. They're in it and they understand that palates are different. So when they're picking they're just trying to pick for good whiskey picking. They're just trying to pick for good whiskey.
Speaker 1:But I believe on Monday I want to say on Tuesday Andimic contacted me and asked if I could do a barrel pick with the state of Ohio in Columbus, about two hours away, and on Thursday, and asked me what I wanted to. You know if I wanted to do that and I was like, yeah, cool. So last Thursday I met with Dark Arts and Macaulay Minton and we did. We chose from 10 barrels, I believe we picked four and uh, I got to Macaulay Minton. I've known he is the person who on my first initial uh bourbon Stewart on the bourbon Stewart uh class. I did it at wilderness trail, withaulay and I met Macaulay. That's the first time I ever met Macaulay. But then I was on barrel picks with Macaulay. Alan Bishop knows Macaulay, royce Neely knows Macaulay. I ran into Macaulay numerous more times and then when he left Wilderness Trail and he started Dark Arts, we went and saw him down at Dark Arts and went and tasted through some barrels. Put up a ton of social media on the barrel thieving, but we're going to have him on coming up. But in the state of Ohio everybody Dark Arts he had Macaulay has done so much to promote this brand and it's becoming very, very successful, but it's not as successful successful in the state of Ohio as I would like it to be, because this is some damn damn good bourbon you're drinking from his, his batch releases or single barrels or whatnot.
Speaker 1:Dark arts is, uh, whiskey house is fantastic whiskey. So we were able to go down meet with macaulay. I'm working out having him on the podcast now I'll also want to say I'm also working to go down and see Dan McKee and Andrea Wilson at Michter's. And then we're also going to have Bernie Lubbers May 6th I want to say it's a Tuesday May 6th we will be having Bernie on the podcast. He is the brand ambassador for Heaven Hill and Mr Bottle and Bond and he's a fantastic, fantastic ambassador. When we did our Elijah Craig barrel proof you know barrel proof pick at Heaven Hill, we had Bernie come on and do the pick with us and that was fantastic. Got to do meets more than just passing time, got to spend some time with Bernie. So he's going to be on.
Speaker 1:But dark arts I'm telling you. This is what Macaulay is going to bring to the finishing industry. He's taking it to the finishing industry. He's taking it to a different level. All we know is when someone says French oak, they're putting French oak in. Macaulay will explain to you. There's three different major forests in France and each forest yields different oak that different wines use, so each forest is different. So if you just hear about French oak and you don't know what forest it came from, that's something that is important, because they yield different flavors and tastes, and Macaulay has taken it upon himself to understand where all of his finishing barrels come from. What was finished in them exactly? Um, it's like if it's an orla rosso. He even he'll know the brands and everything. So what he's done is fantastic. So look forward to um, the dark arts podcast coming up. I'm excited.
Speaker 1:Hanging out with Macaulay and Ann Dimmick, two of my favorite people, was fantastic. Also, greg Schneider announced that he was going to be at Four Branches. That is now going through. They made it official on their on their website. It was posted on Facebook. Greg is just already starting. The brand had started and there was some things, and he's already getting and using his knowledge and expertise to start what Greg does, and what had he had done for chicken cock he's now going to do for four branches. I'm looking forward to it and very excited about that. So we've got a lot happening going forward. I'm still gonna sip on this. Yeah, the heart release is way more powerful.
Speaker 1:And you know, it's funny because when you um think about maker's mark and what we talked about with what bill samuels jr said, that Bill Samuels was trying to do when he started Maker's Mark, and when you think about that, I need some water when you think about that he's talking about. Back then he wanted to make Maker's Mark a smooth, easy drinking whiskey, one that didn't have that bite that some people love but other people's don't. But it's funny now. Up until a while ago, before the private selects, you couldn't get one. You couldn't get barrels aged any further than what they were aging the barrels and they were just making Maker's Mark all along. When Maker's Mark 46 came along, that was their first ever change in what they were doing, but they also weren't changing the proof. Now we have barrel proof. We've got the cellar aged, which is further aged because forever maker's mark wouldn't age it any longer. And uh, this is the cellar age and I'm sure this is one of my favorite. You can see this is a great bottle that got dipped.
Speaker 1:Um, but my, my thing is is that the newer higher proof makers marks don't exactly fit the bill, because whiskey has evolved, because a lot of people like that higher proof, they like that little bit more age, they like that little bit of bite and that's kind of just like, if you take the sport of baseball, there's different time periods where things are happening within the sport Right now. You know, in the 70s and the 80s average was very, very important. People would hit for average, didn't want to strike out, but right now home runs and strikeouts are the name of the game. So it's evolved to be a little bit more straightforward and less finesse and get more of the glamour and a strikeout and homers. Those are way up in baseball right now, whereas, you know, at different times the homers are down and the strikeouts are down.
Speaker 1:So there's a lot of different evolutions of the bourbon industry. But right now people drinking cast strength when they were putting cast strength out way back. It's just like what is going on. They're putting cast strength out and when they did it, when Booker did it and when people were doing it, they didn't think people were going to drink it at cast strength. They wanted to give it to them so they could add water and drink it at the proof that they wanted to drink it at where they felt was the best to drink it. But it's evolved into people buying it and drinking it in cast strength form.
Speaker 3:Alright.
Speaker 1:It's funny, but this Cellar Aged, which is 119.3, so very close 10, 10. This drinks more like what Bill Jr was trying to do. It's very easy for 119 proof and that's pretty cool. All right, everybody, that's pretty cool. All right, everybody. Uh, makers, mark, now everybody on youtube and facebook. You can hang on afterwards, we can, we hang out for a little bit after, but, um, we're going to end this for the regular podcast at this point. Um, I think that was a pretty fantastic Thanks to everybody who's watching uh right afterwards. If you hang on, I am going to, especially if you're watching on uh Facebook, I will set up the. I will give you a cut.
Speaker 1:Canadian mist represents got a fifth in my freezer. I mean Canadian mist, I mean it's okay. But you know we're dealing with a lot different when we're talking about the whiskeys and the bourbons. This is more of a pure form of whiskey. But you know what, if you're drinking Canadian mist, at least you're drinking something and that is whatever you like, whoever you, you are the only palate that matters. My palate don't matter, his palate don't matter. My friend's palate don't matter. Your palate matters because you have to drink with what you like.
Speaker 1:I get that so many times people are like well, I don't understand how people can do this. Well, if you can't, i't. I mean, I can honestly say that when I was younger I would have said the same thing that I couldn't, I wouldn't be doing this. But at this point, uh, I honestly, uh, absolutely love bourbon and whiskey and all the different whiskeys and tasting Irish and Japanese, and just sipping and relaxing and it being part of the whiskey culture and, um, that's one thing that we're always selling. Uh, we are selling the relaxation, the breaking down of chaos and stress. This is what whiskey does when you use it as a tool, not as a crutch. This is something that's to be enjoyed. People put a lot of time and effort into the spirit and they want you to taste it, and that's what you're supposed to be doing, and if you do it right doing, and if you do it right, you can. You can be tasting multiple bourbons and getting to meet the greatest people on the planet who either are associated make it or also, uh, friends who enjoy it just as much as we do. So, um, with that said, we're gonna end this podcast tonight. Thank you, everybody.
Speaker 1:As always, thursday night, we have um gin coming on, my son, who really has converted since the last time he's been on. He really does and likes, uh, bourbon over gin. I I've been sending him stuff and it's been kind of cool. So, uh, remember facebook and youtube. You don't have to go out, but we are going to end this segment of the audio podcast. So here we go wwwscotchiebourbonboyscom for all things scotchy bourbon boys. Uh, contact me. Or on the website for these awesome Glen Cairns. We also have T-shirts for sale and, you know, from time to time we put other things up, including bourbon balls, which we are in the process of getting ready to be making.
Speaker 1:Again. We actually have some pecans that have been soaking for 18 months a little over a year and a half, so that's going to be interesting to see what happens with that. But remember we're on Facebook, instagram, youtube and X on social media, and then all the major podcast formats, including Apple iHeart and Spotify. No, but no matter how you listen or watch us, remember like, listen, comment and subscribe, leave good feedback and you know we appreciate everything that you guys do for us. So remember good bourbon and whiskey equals good times and good friends. Remember to drink responsibly. Don't drink and drive, and live your life uncut and unfiltered, and little Steve-O is going to take us out.
Speaker 3:Let's do it. Oh, don't ask why. Oh don't ask why. Show me the way to the next whiskey bar. Oh don't ask why. Oh don't ask why. For if we don't find the next whiskey bar, I tell you we must die. I tell you we must die. I tell you, I tell you, I tell you we must die. I tell you we must die. I tell you, I tell you, I tell you we must die.
Speaker 1:Good night.
