In August, a group of local women led by mixologist and bar owner Molly Wellmann and Britney Ruby Miller of Jeff Ruby's Culinary Entertainment traveled to Maker's Mark's distillery in Loretto, Ky. to tour the facilities, learn about the bourbon distilling process and create their own barrel of Maker's Mark Private Select bourbon.
The barrel program gives people the opportunity to create a custom bourbon recipe by choosing a combination of 10 wood finishing staves that introduce distinct individual flavors into the bourbon. There are 1001 possible combinations that can be created with the staves.
After touring the facilities, the team of women sat down and discussed their vision for the bourbon's flavor profile. It was important for the bourbon to taste good in cocktails and by itself, and it also needed to pair well with Jeff Ruby's steaks. The team also considered the season that the bottles would be released and wanted the bourbon to have a warming element to it.
With these goals in mind, the group created and taste-tested several combinations of oak staves to land on their final selection. The barrel aged for the past few months in a limestone cellar and will be released to the public on Friday, Nov. 30th.
If you would like to purchase a bottle of your own, you can visit Jungle Jim's in Fairfield from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to pick up a bottle and have it signed by Molly Wellmann and Britney Ruby Miller.
There will also be a kick-off party at Japp's starting at 4 p.m. on Nov. 30 where guests can sample the bourbon in cocktails created by Molly Wellmann and her team. There will be live Jazz music starting at 5:30 p.m. by The Burning Caravan, light bites from Jeff Ruby's, holiday giveaways, raffles and more. The first 50 guests will receive specialty red- and green-dipped Maker's Mark glassware.
Bottle Signing at Jungle Jim's: 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Nov. 30. Jungle Jim's International Market, 5440 Dixie Hwy, Fairfield.
Kick-off Party at Japp's: 4:00 p.m. Nov 30. Japp's Since 1879, 1136 Main St., Over-the-Rhine.
