This was a very welcome detour for me.
The first weekend in September (of my Golden Birthday Month), Jules and I headed down to Atlanta for a wedding. We drove which gave us the ability to make a pretty neat detour on the way home. You see, Maker’s Mark had just announced a super rare limited edition version of their popular “46” bourbon. This version was Cask Strength, which means it was literally straight from the barrel into the bottle (without the water typically added to cut it to proof). These rare bottles are only sold at the distillery in Loretto, Kentucky in very limited quantities. It’s rumored (based on conversations with distillery staff and online) that these will be highly sought on the secondary bourbon market.
It being my “Golden Birthday Month” and my favorite bourbon, I had to have some.
We made a 5 hour detour on the way back to Cleveland from Atlanta to stop at the distillery. This was Jules’ first time at the distillery and my first time with a camera (I was here on my bachelor party), so we took the tour again. It had been changed since I was here last so both got to see some new stuff, including their new 3rd still. Taking the tour means we got to have a tasting which was quite amusing for me as Jules did not like the “white lightning” that Makers produces. At the end of the tour we entered the legendary gift shop. It’s a “mecca” of sorts for Maker’s Mark fans. We dipped several bottles, including some bottles of 46, Cask Strength, and 46 Cask Strength. Being the good friend that I am, I even got my buddy Ryan a bottle for his stash (and it was birthday gift).
Once I got back to Cleveland, I popped a top on one of the bottles of 46 Cask Strength I purchased and tried it. It was quite smooth on the tongue with a slightly more pronouced burn in the throat. It’s the smoothest high ABV (55%) bourbon I’ve ever tasted. If you have a chance to swing by Loretto and get some, I highly recommend it! Want to see more? Click on my Flickr.
(HUGE thanks to Jules for surprising me with this trip + bourbon! She is awesome.)
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