Makers Mark Bourbon

The Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey brand was introduced in 1958 by Bill Samuels, who had bought Kentucky's historic Burks' Distillery for the purpose in 1953. Maker’s Mark is one of the small number of American whiskey distilleries making the less common wheated bourbon style, with Samuels receiving help from the king of wheated bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, during the development of Maker’s Mark.

Burks’ Distillery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980, and Maker’s Mark was sold the following year to Hiram Walker & Sons, which was taken over by Allied Domecq in 1987. Allied were themselves swallowed by Pernod Ricard in 2005 and Maker’s Mark was soon sold to Jim Beam owner Fortune Brands, with the latter's drinks spinoff Beam Inc. becoming part of Beam Suntory in 2014. Mercifully, Maker’s Mark survived this ownership merry-go-round and the brand's instantly recognisable chunky, wax-dipped bottles remain as popular as ever.

Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.

This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.