Getting a gift for the dad who loves whiskey is often a search all its own: What hasn’t he tried, what whiskey doesn’t he have in his bar cart? We’ve got the answers to those questions. Or rather, Maker’s Mark and Black Bourbon Society have them.
Black Bourbon Society uses events, excursions, social media and outreach programs to bridge “the gap between the spirits industry and African American bourbon enthusiasts,” and the group has used that knowledge and expertise to come up with an inventive take on Maker’s Mark.
The two have teamed up on Black Bourbon Society’s Maker’s Mark Private Selection: Recipe 2, part of the Maker’s Mark Private Selection Program. Think of the program like a “choose-your-own-adventure” approach, whereby Maker’s Mark works with retail partners to customize the barrel-aging process through inventing finishing of fully-matured cask strength Maker’s Mark Bourbon.
In this case, that involves a custom selection of oak staves inserted into a single barrel to personalize the finishing process. And for the Black Bourbon Society edition, Maker’s Mark worked with BBS Founder Samara Davis and her husband and partner, Amond Davis, using new Mendiant staves, which feature, according to Maker’s Mark, “amplified milk chocolate, buttery nut, deep coffee, and dried dark fruit notes.”
This year’s effort is a follow-up to the 2019 award-winning Black Bourbon Society Private Selection. It goes beyond whiskey, though.
Through the partnership, Maker’s Mark and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits have also helped establish Diversity Distilled through Black Bourbon Society, advocating for programs that advance equality across the spirits industry.
The new, one-of-a-kind whiskey is available now for $69 via the Spirits Network and in select cities nationwide. Sounds like a gift worthy of ending up in Dad’s bar cart this Father’s Day, although who says you have to wait until then?