Maker’s Mark lowers proof to extend supply.
Maker’s Mark, one of Kentucky’s best-known bourbons, has announced it’s lowering the proof of its flagship brand from 90 to 84 (from 45 percent alcohol to 42 percent).
That means every bottle filled at the factory will contain 3 percent more water.
Rob Samuels, chief operating officer at the Loretto, Ky., bourbon maker, said the company was blessed with having too much demand and while cursed with too little supply. Watering the bourbon down some will help extend supply but without—according to Samuels—changing the taste.
Though Samuels insists the lower-proof bourbon went through extensive taste testing to confirm it was just as good as before, some Maker’s Mark fans are rending their garments over the move. Some have demanded the price of their beloved Maker’s also be watered down by 3 percent.
Does it matter? Can Average Joe and Josephine tell the difference? Tell us what you think.
