Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1002743
s u m m e r 2 0 1 8 | 2 9 ■cr Private Select's evolution has also served as a reminder that subjec- tivity and personal experience often dominate tasting profiles. "If you and I sit down for an hour and taste 20 different whiskies and write our tasting notes, what's the frame of reference between your notes and my notes? There is none because your caramel is maybe different from my caramel," Bowie says. In response, the Maker's Mark tasting team created a sensory program to help people identify their own tasting skills in an effort to minimize subjectivity. Before tasting, guests will study roughly 28 sensory samples specific to Maker's Mark Private Select notes. "We've broken down the whisky and sensory standards that are our definition of flavor: Maker's Mark vanilla and Maker's Mark caramel, for example," Bowie says. "When we start a tasting, the first thing we do is actually smell through these standards. We all agree upon the same vocabulary and language, so it takes the subjectivity out of our tasting. Don't get me wrong, it's still personal, but suddenly, we have a frame of reference. When we work on stave development and whisky development, we actually use that vocabulary, language, and intensity. Private Select tasters will know the DNA of their whisky going into the selection." Now, when Bowie sits with Private Select tasters from London, New York, or elsewhere, these tasters can more effectively work toward their desired whisky through this shared vocabulary and language. In a way, Bowie says, her goal was to give people an experience mirroring the creation of the first Maker's Mark and Maker's 46. "This is our process before we make whisky," Bowie says. "It's all very Maker's-centric, be- cause having that taste vision is how we've developed our bourbon from the start." PHOTO: JOHN CURLEY After Bill Samuels, Sr., pictured at left, elevated the bourbon experience in the 1950s, Bill Samuels, Jr. (right) built Maker's Mark into a bourbon tour de force. MAKER'S MARK® BOURBON WHISKY, 45% ALC./VOL. ©2018 MAKER'S MARK DISTILLERY, INC., LORETTO, KY