Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, is entering year number two of its five year Wood Finishing Series plan. The original Wood Finishing Series focused on the production process while this new series focuses on the teams behind Maker’s Mark makers. Last year’s ‘The Heart Release’ focused on the still house team while 2025 ‘The Keepers Release’ focuses on the warehouse team. It’s based on what the warehouse team experiences with what they smell and experience every day.
Introducing Maker’s Mark ‘The Keepers Release’
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“From the beginning, our founders – my grandparents – went to remarkable lengths to create an uncompromisingly delicious bourbon,” said Rob Samuels, eighth generation whisky maker and managing director, Maker’s Mark. “We are delighted to introduce this latest Wood Finishing Series expression that celebrates the team who still rotate each and every barrel of Maker’s Mark by hand and who continue to embrace our founders’ perfectly unreasonable pursuit of excellence.”
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Related Story
Maker’s Mark Distillery Announces ‘The Heart Release’ – The 1st in a 5-Year Wood Finishing Series [VIDEO]
Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series is a collection of one-of-a-kind expressions that use an innovative wood stave-finishing technique to enhance distinctive characteristics already present in the brand’s iconic bourbon. The Keepers Release 2025 showcases rich, oak-forward aromas of seasoned wood, brûléd sugar, and tobacco, leading to a long, enveloping finish characterized by dried dark fruit and a lingering roasted sweetness.
“The Keepers Release was born from our close collaboration with the Maker’s Mark warehouse team, the guardians of our barrels,” said Master Distiller Dr. Blake Layfield.
“Their sensory experience of Maker’s Mark is unlike anyone else’s — the aromatic oak at different times of the day, evolving tasting notes of our whisky as it ages over multiple seasons — which provided inspiration and helped us shape the flavors of this release.”
Maker’s Mark 2024 The Keepers Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky is bottled at 109.2 proof (54.6% ABV) and will be offered with a suggested retail price of $74.99 for a 750mL at U.S. reletailers beginning today.
In 1953, in Loretto, Kentucky, Bill Samuels, Sr., fulfilled his dream to create a handmade and delicious bourbon. He decided to make his whisky in small batches, using soft red winter wheat to enhance the softness and sweetness. He then rotated each barrel by hand for consistency and, finally, aged each barrel to taste. While he developed the bourbon, his wife Margie Samuels ideated the bourbon’s name and label, standout bottle shape, iconic and signature look that still involves hand-dipping each bottle in red wax to this day. Together as co-founders, Bill and Margie transformed bourbon from a “commodity” into a premium handmade spirit, and today Maker’s Mark® Kentucky Straight Bourbon continues to be crafted in the same, purposeful way.
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