In early 2009, I sold my business in Delray and moved to Kansas City, Missouri to be closer to family. My first job there was with a prominent restaurant and nightclub developer called ECI. They had just recently partnered with Maker’s Mark Distillery to open 3 bourbon themed steak houses in KC, Louisville and Indianapolis.
I got the job as bar manager in the downtown KC Live venue!!
That’s great but my bourbon and overall whiskey knowledge needed a serious upgrade. The day after I was hired I went to a place called “Half Priced Books” and bought every book on whiskey they had! I went through our menu of over 200 whiskies and attempted to learn about each one. And so my studies and work as a student of brown whiskey began!
Over the last 13 years I have been to Kentucky multiple times, taught whiskey classes at multiple restaurants and most recently was given the opportunity to curate the nearly 1000 whiskies at Warren American Whiskey Kitchen! It’s been a fun and rewarding whiskey ride to get here!
Yesterday at Warren, members of our Damn Good Hospitality team were able to meet with Maker’s amazing brand ambassador, Deniro, and create our very own barrel blend using five different cask strength expressions. Each barrel sample had been flavored with different types of wood staves for their own unique flavor profile. Creating a blend from these 5 (we only wound using 4!) was a blast! Our team (including Brian, Jeff and Whiskey Bob) made three different blends and the middle one, created by our beverage director, JP, and yours truly was selected as the one we’re going with!
The 53 gallon barrel of this blend will yield us appoximately 200 bottles of this unique whisky and be available to our members and guests around late January! It combines the toasted French spice barrel (60%), the MM traditional 46 (20%), the seared French Cuvee barrel (10%) and a barrel simply known as P2. (10%). The result is a full-bodied blend that comes at you rich and deep with notes of orange zest, caramel, dried fruits, baking spice, clove, creme brule, brown sugar and of course, plenty of vanilla.
From the nose to the finish this special barrel will deliver. It really has everything: a vibrant, rich, floral nose, a viscous and complex mouth feel and a long lasting, delicious finish that lingers on.
Having started my whisky journey and career with Maker’s Mark makes this opportunity to create our own blend of their legendary bourbon even more rewarding and special. I’ve finally come full circle with this brand!
And I can’t wait to break these new bottles out to kick off 2023!!!
Cheers
Fitz
One reply on “Coming Full Circle with Maker’s Mark and Star Hill Farms!”
I visited Warren for the first time this Saturday and had the pleasure of meeting you and Marc. Great selection! I sampled your Maker’s Mark barrel blend and it carried the day against the other bourbons I tried.
I’d love to take a bottle of that home.