# 26 Seven years in the making

Custom labeled

I remember my first taste of Maker’s Mark. To protect other non-innocent parties involved, I will not put all the details in writing. I will say it may or may not have ended in streaking through a neighborhood in my hometown. Good times indeed.

Maker’s has a great program for its devoted fans called the Ambassadors. Basically you sign up and they send you things. The coolest part is that as an Ambassador, you get your name (along with 29 others) put on a barrel plate. After seven years, your barrel gets put into a batch of bourbon and you get invited to come dip a bottle from it.

Personally dipped

My barrel reached maturity this spring. I could not have planned this if I tried. So after an excellent time at the Kentucky Derby, I headed to the hills to visit Maker’s Mark Distillery.

I will admit that my bottle dipping was very emotional. My hands were shaking and I did my best to hold back the tears. At the end of it all, I am now the proud owner of two custom-labeled, personally dipped and stamped bottles of Maker’s Mark.

This post is dedicated to Ben, Cope and Tim, my eternal brothers in bourbon.