Maker’s Mark Reportedly Explores Barrel-Rinsing Technique To Boost Supply

Four months after consumer outcry nixed Maker’s Mark’s plan to gain additional supply by reducing its alcohol strength, Beam-owned Maker’s is reportedly considering employing a “state of the art rinse process” that could help it extract more Bourbon from each barrel.

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that the move would be part of an $8.2 million project to upgrade Maker’s Mark’s distillery, which is in the midst of a long-term expansion project to boost output. That push is also expected to include a new 50,000-barrel aging warehouse.

Beam, which didn’t immediately comment when contacted this morning, already uses a technique on its Jim Beam Devil’s Cut whiskey that involves extracting liquid trapped in aging barrels’ wood after they’re emptied. Maker’s Mark’s U.S. depletions rose 13% to 1.17 million cases last year, amid an ongoing boom for the Bourbon category, which has led it and other producers like Buffalo Trace to warn of tightening supply.

Tagged : Beam Inc, Bourbon, Maker's Mark, whiskey

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