The Whisky Drop by Maker’s Mark – A Review

The Whisky Drop by Maker’s Mark – A Review

A member’s honest feelings after 3 years

The Whisky Drop Started in 2021

The Whisky Drop was a new service from Maker’s Mark Distillery at the time I originally wrote the first version of this article, in April 2021. Taking advantage of Kentucky’s recently passed House Bill 415, which allows the shipping of alcohol from producers directly to consumers, Maker’s Mark launched this program early in 2021. Members receive a shipment every season, and each shipment contains two bottles of bourbon. The bourbons that Whisky Drop members receive are described by Maker’s Mark as such:

“The good stuff. The new stuff. The classic stuff. The hard-to-find stuff. Delivered right to your doorstep every season. It’s such a delightfully simple concept. Maybe it’s no coincidence that The Whisky Drop by Maker’s Mark gets right back to why we started making bourbon in the first place: to share it with friends who enjoy savoring it as much as we do. Now you can savor it without even stepping off the front porch.”

So, now, in August 2024, I have been a member of the Whisky Drop for 3 years. Let’s talk more about the club and my feelings about it.

Whiskey Drop by Maker’s Mark Spring 2021 Shipment

The bottles were:

• Roasted French Mocha: This bourbon is finished using all Roasted French Mocha staves. The French Mocha stave has since been retired, so this bourbon is a special one.
• 2020 Spring Distillery Release MR 1-3. The MR 1-3 stave profile in this bourbon uses virgin French Oak staves. This was initially a Distillery Only release.

Packaging

As you can see from my video, Maker’s does a fantastic job with the packaging. It’s more of a display case than a box and makes for a beautiful presentation. However, I suspect that it adds substantial cost to each shipment. And although these boxes are nice, they still get tossed in the recycling bin. I would prefer that members only receive the fancy box with their initial shipment. There is no need for more than that, and hopefully the cost will be reduced somewhat to compensate for that.

All Whisky Drop by Maker’s Mark Selections to Date

• January 2021 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® Wood Finishing Series
    • 2019 – RC6
    • 2020 – SE4 – PR5
• April 2021 Shipment
  • 2020 Spring Limited Release – MR 1-3 (Distillery Exlcusive)
  • Maker’s Mark Private Selection: 100% Roasted French Mocha
• June 2021 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® Private Selections:
    • Melted Mocha (6 Roasted French Mocha staves)
    • Rich Mendiant (6 Roasted French Mendiant staves)
• September 2021 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® 2021 Limited Releases:
  • FAE-01
  • FAE-02
• December 2021 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® DNA Project:
    • Entry Proof 110
    • Entry Proof 115
• February 2022 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® DNA Project:
    • Entry Proof 120
    • Entry Proof 125
• May 2022 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® 2022 Private Selections:
    • Master of Maturation Selection (Jane Bowie)
    • Master Distiller Selection (Denny Potter)
• September 2022 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® 2022 Limited Releases:
    • BRT-01
    • BRT-02
• November 2022 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® 2022 CommUNITY Batch®
  • Maker’s Mark® Classic: Holiday Edition
• April 2023 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® 2023 Limited Release:
    • BEP
    • Maker’s Mark® 46 Cask Strength
• July 2023 Shipment
  • Whisky Drop Selection 01: Caramel Popcorn (crafted by members)
  • Whisky Drop Selection 02: Chess Pie (crafted by members)
• October 2023 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® Cellar Aged
  • Maker’s Mark® Cask Strength
• December 2023 Shipment
  • Maker’s Mark® 101
  • Maker’s Mark® 2023 CommUNITY Batch
• April 2024 Shipment
  • Whisky Drop Selection 03 (crafted by members)
  • Whisky Drop Selection 04 (crafted by members)
• July 2024 Shipment
  • 2024 Wood Finishing Series – The Heart Release
  • Ambassador Release #1 – (selected by Maker’s Mark Ambassadors)

So, You Want To Join The Whisky Drop?

“Sign me up!” I can hear you saying. Maker’s started small and this service was immediately at capacity, and also only available in Kentucky and Washington, D.C. I understand Kentucky, but I’m not sure why they picked D.C? Maybe the folks at Maker’s felt that it was in their best interest to keep our nation’s leaders happy? Seems like a wise move! I assume they were starting small to work out the bugs, and that availability would expand in the future.

UPDATE: As of August 2024, Maker’s Mark The Whisky Drop is now available in Kentucky, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Washington, D.C. So, a few states have been added since the club’s inception. While they may have started out small intentionally, now that the Whiskey Drop is mature, I believe that the limited geographic availability is due mainly to legal restrictions. In addition, at this time, it seems that new memberships are again unavailable. However, anyone inquiring on the website is invited to sign up for the waiting list.

Taxes

With direct to consumer shipping under HB 415 come some new taxes for consumers. An 11% wholesale tax and a state excise tax are added on top of the local sales tax. That was a bit unexpected, but this information has since been added to the website.

Customer Satisfaction

When I initially wrote this article back in 2021, I had just received my second shipment. At the time, I was enjoying what the Whisky Drop by Maker’s Mark had sent me. The most recent box was very nice, and the first (Winter 2021) shipment had included the RC6 and SE4-PR5, which were the two limited releases of the Wood Finishing Series from 2020. As the years have gone on, I still enjoy the service. We have received some limited releases, including the highly sought after Cellar Aged, which definitely made the Whiskey Drop worthwhile.

However, we also have received quite a few Private Selections. Some have been blended by members, others selected by Ambassadors, and one set was blended by former Master Distiller Denny Potter and former Master of Maturation and Director of Innovation Jane Bowie. Since then, they both left Maker’s Mark to start the Potter Jane Distillery. Now, don’t get me wrong; I love Maker’s Mark Private Selections. I just have a ton of them and don’t really need that many more. The Denny and Jane set was great, especially since there was also an accompanying online tasting. (An online tasting accompanies every shipment.) However, I could have lived without the others, and would have much preferred receiving other limited releases which are not available for purchase in the US, such as the Wood Finishing Series – the City Series. We did not receive any of those, which was quite disappointing.

Timeliness

One other complaint that I have is that we often receive limited releases after they have already appeared on retail store shelves, or been made available at the distillery. I really feel that Whisky Drop members should be the first to receive any product. Additionally, purchasing these bottles in stores or at the distillery is less expensive than receiving them via the Whisky Drop, after taking into account all the taxes and shipping fees.

Conclusion

Having said all that, overall, I have enjoyed the Whisky Drop. It is nice when we receive difficult to get bottles, like the Cellar Aged. However, even though they are quite good, the number of Private Selections we have received is a bit excessive. In their place we should have been sent limited releases, such as the Wood Finishing Series – City Series. Lastly, the cost is too high. It should be no more than retail, and should include the wholesale and excise taxes, because those are already taken into account in the retail price. If you are considering the Whiskey Drop by Maker’s Mark, it may very well be the perfect choice for you. However, it is important to weigh all of these factors before deciding whether to proceed. Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Whisky Drop by Maker’s Mark review! If you would like to read about other Maker’s Mark bourbons, then check out our article Maker’s Mark Bourbon: Proof Matters and our Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky, Maker’s Mark 101 and Maker’s 46 Cask Strength Bourbon reviews! Finally, learn all about visiting the distillery in our Maker’s Mark Distillery Tour Review!

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!