French Oak Bourbon Face-Off: Penelope Omega vs Maker's Mark 46 French Oaked Cask Strength; Ep. 96

Dan and Bob: Good evening. How's everybody doing? Welcome back to Bourbon Brass and Beyond. Tonight. French Oak. French Oak. This was so the what got me, you suggested this makers. Yeah. And I'm like, well, why don't we just do French Oak? Because we were talking about this last podcast. Yeah. And Calvin was talking about this one, I think, is who mentioned it. So because we were doing Penelope. We were doing the estate collection. Yeah. single barrels. So tonight it is the Penelope. Omega. 11 year. Ooh. It's 11 year juice, but I think it's like three or four years aged in French oak after. Okay. And that's 109.8 proof. So 110. And we're doing the the makers mark 46 French Oaked Cask Strength, which is 112 proof. And this is one you guys did you guys barrel that one or bottle that one? Steph did the wax topper on that. okay. Close enough. I still think Penelope's open better than anything else. This thing is so nice. Fresh crack. Thank you, sir. I get that on the inside or the outside? that's the inside. What? I'm a pro. that's nice. Yeah. But this is this wheated or not? So this was no, actually, you know, I was looking at this after we did those single barrels. So this is what was it? 79% corn. Okay. 10% rye. What is that? 1% barley. So yeah. So I mean it's if anything, we're gonna call this a rye, light rye. I mean I mean it's a bourbon, but I mean it's but it doesn't even have a lot of No, not of a lot of anything else in it. Yeah, so not wheated like the single barrels were. Yeah. So those single barrels were wheated? I think I thought they were. Now I'll have to look. I I don't I thought there was four grains in those, wasn't there? you're right. And it was the it was the same thing, same thing, it was only one percent barley barley. And then it was I thought the other one was was wheat. And I don't know if it's just because now I know how much corn is in it, but yeah. It does smell a little corn for forward. You know, it's got a really nice toasty note on it though. Yeah. So I I have now this is gonna be a good test for me tonight. I'm curious to see how this goes. I've said repeatedly that every time we have something that's French oaked, I'm like, I like this. I think I'm a French oak guy. So I'm curious to see if tonight holds up or not and how these stack and everything else. So Mm. I think it's got a good bourbon-y, strong bourbon flavor to your smell to So this is the first sip of the day in a fresh crack. Yeah. But I feel like it's got a great mouthfeel on it. I I feel like It's got a medium finish. Yeah. But it's got a really nice flavor. Yeah. And it holds. Yeah. I I Kentucky Hog. Yeah. I'm getting the you know, the the typical caramel and vanilla is off the nose, but we've talked about some of these with a high ethanol smell at first and I don't think I get it's not over. I mean it's there, but again for a fresh crack and although eleven years. And I guess it's finished, it's a double barrel. Yeah. And it's it's corn forward. Yeah. I'm not getting a lot of n other notes on the nose. I I'm I'm just getting maybe a little oakiness. It's like a sweet oak. Yeah. I think that's one of the reasons I think that's always what stood out with me with the French oaks, is they're sweeter. I think this one said specifically tight ring or tight ringed French oaks or something like that is what they talked about. This is from last year I guess so. And on the palate it's like I'm getting a little almost raisin. Yeah. like a a a dark fruit. Mm n definitely not bright. It's it Yeah, I'll agree with that. Hm. Going back if I remember those single barrels right, I th I think those single barrels might have been better than this one even. Those were what, ten year? Yeah. Maybe it's the wheat. I would say that different mash bill for sure. Yeah, I would say that it's not as This is a a strong flavor. Yeah, oil. Whereas those those the stay collections were much more muted. Yeah. They they were they were softer. Yeah. And those is pretty darn nice on this though. Can't give it credit for last and two. It's got a good little flavor on it that holds. Yeah. That's a good bottle. Yeah. Yeah, I like it. And and I like once again anything we've had that's been French oaked, I think. Yeah. I listen it's always been yeah. I think that's one of the reasons I've always said that this is a good fit for me is I don't know if it's the 'cause this was this I I looked earlier. They said it was a charred barrel, charred French, so yeah. Or not charred, toasted. Toasted. Toasted. Mm. And I like toasted barrel stuff too. Yeah. Hmm. That's a nice little pour. I yeah. Now there are multiple years of this. Or is this I think this is I think last year's the only year they did this. So we were talking about those single barrels. There's a couple of years they've done that. And then I just got this year's which is this? The estate which one is that? The green boxed ones. The the founders edition. And I think they did that last year this year. Yes. And that was a thirteen year old. Right? Yeah, it's 13 years old. And I I sent a picture to the group earlier because it so I took it downstairs and the box, so we were into that the la one night there was a bunch of folks over here. Yeah and and I had we had it over here and I remember getting into the box and then I got the new box yesterday and I'm like it just seems different. So I set them up next to each other. They are not, they created an entire new box for each for each year. And it's like so this year's box is half an inch taller. It's not as square, it's not as deep, it's more rectangular. Yeah, more rectangular. The other one is definitely a like a squave look top down at square. So I don't know what they're doing. It seems like that's a missed opportunity. Although so this year's is twenty proof points lower than last year's. One twenty one to one one, which came as surprise to me. So same price. twenty proof points less. We'll see how that goes. Yeah, now is it better? Like Well, I 'cause that that was pretty good. I was gonna suggest we it was really good. I suggest I was gonna suggest we do that tonight. I didn't want to do two straight Penelope nights, but here we are. not just Penelope, but no, this is specifically. Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. So that's pretty good. That is really good. Hmm. Nice. We might have to do a Penelope just with the estates, cause we've got a bunch of them now. Yeah, because we did three the other night. Yeah. When he had more too. Plus I've got he's got those signature. Correct. Yeah. private barrels. Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. Well. French? French oaked. You said this was what? 112? This one's one one twelve. It is signed by Hey, I didn't are you sure you wanna open that? okay. Yeah, but this still has Bill Samuels Junior. Okay. Name on it. So his son hasn't officially taking everything over. Yeah, so good for Bill. Yeah. I don't know if anybody's ever met Bill. Bill is phenomenal. Yeah. You said great stories and tons of great stories. never planned on getting into the whiskey business. Yeah. And you know when he are when he did get into it his dad, the one instruction his dad gave him is don't fuck up the the whiskey. That was it. Seems pretty simple. And that's a direct quote. but in in here's a guy that originally went to school to be an engineer, went to work at NASA. that didn't work out, so he became an attorney. And that he didn't really like that, so ended up going back to work at Makersmart 'cause his dad Owned and operated Makersmark. And the other thing is they're like sixth generation. Yeah. So the the Samuels family, the I think it was TF Samuels or TW Samuels, had whiskey for a long time, but nobody in the family liked their whiskey. So they basically tore it to the ground, rebuilt it, started over with Makersmark, doing a wheated mash bill. They actually got their first yeast from Pappy Van Winkle. Convenient. Yeah. And then you know, just had their little makers mark operation and then it stayed unchanged for crazy. For for decades. Yeah. And then when Bill got involved, his first job, they gave him an office out at the airport because his dad wanted him as far from the whiskey as possible. Don't screw it up. Don't screw it up. And so he loves telling that story. But I'm excited to try this because we did try this down at the distillery and then Steph did the waxing of the bottle. So here it is. It's the maker's mark French oaked 46. 46. cask strength. All right. Yeah. The wax pool. Mm-hmm. pressure after our perfect board. That's right. I felt it on my finger. you better No, you just got the bottle. You think that wax was holding it up? Yeah, sure it was. This smells much sweeter. So you got going on this week? I gotta travel up and back to New York City. Just we're busy. So when you go to New York? The two days. So Wednesday. Yeah. Yeah. So Yeah, I don't have anything. Busy. I works been busy, so that's the big thing for me. Kids. We finished soccer season last weekend, but rec season starts na next week. So it's kind of the low in between, I guess. Yeah, nose is really nice on this. That's such a nice nose. Yeah. Just traditional caramel panilla. Yeah. It's very pronounced, much more so than the the Penelope. Sweet too. Yeah. I was just gonna say a little bit of brown sugar or almost like a caramelized sugar. Mm. Less pronounced at first. Definitely develops the longer you you you've had it. Yeah. got that maker's taste to it is what I mean it's It does. It it's like you get that on the top of your tongue. Yep. But the sweetness just kinda settles in. Soaks, yep. What I think that is is it it's it's more s this is a younger bourbon than we just had. 'Cause a lot of their stuff is seven yeah. You know, seven, eight years. Does it age state at all on here? I'm gonna guess no. No, that's I've had a couple of sips, but I just at first it seems like it's not as proofy as the other either. So makers is interesting. You know, they do the same whiskey no matter what. And after seven to eight years, it's all the same whiskey. There's no changes. And it's after that point in time they'll do the finishing. You know, there's no such thing as a single barrel. Yeah. It's all, you know, mixed and badge. But then they'll do the stave seasoning or the stave finishing and like the French oaked forty six. Mm. Yeah, it's got a great nose for And makers, I'll tell you, it had one of the most phenomenal tours. It's an old brand. Woodford was amazing for the same reason. But all the art and the glassware, I mean Steph loved all the glass stuff. That was it was just beautiful, right? Fantastic. It's funny. You go to those like Woodford. Buffalo Trace is just this enormous corporation that you could tell they're just there to make bourbon and they make a lot of it. I think it's a great experience. The tours are awesome. The tasting experiences are awesome. The bourbon's great. Right. But some of these like and makers and Woodford are both big organizations, but you go to Woodford, it's literally like hidden in a hollow. back in the middle of nowhere. I so I think those are the very cool experiences that so I haven't been to Woodford yet. I've been to I've been to Makers. Been to wild turkey. Yeah. but but Woodford's another one I need to hit. Yeah. Yeah, it's nice. You could tell that they've got a new building that they s kind of set up their tours in and everything. You could tell it's designed to just get people through. But it there it's nice and you get to go in those rick houses and the the the boiler room and everything. And it it's just it's they're nice. So I liked Woodford back when it was the LeBron and Graham distillery. And I that's one of the First drinking bourbons that I I started on was LeBron Craig. I think it I think that's what Woodford has always been is it's just everybody's kinda daily driver, right? Like Yeah. Now some of these, like we've talked about where's it at? That double b or that double double oaked, right? Yeah. Did you move it? No, it's right here. it's super good. I love that one. So I they do some of that stuff that's really, really good. But I don't I don't I'm not trying to knock the regular stuff, but The double oaked is good. And I think the same thing. I it nobody ever says this is bad bourbon. It's just Right. Yeah. Good daily. Yeah. And this I mean, it's got great legs. I don't know if they can see that, but 'Cause this is just cash strength of of their normal stuff that's been seasoned with the French oak staves. You can't get this in Ohio. Yeah, well, it's Ohio. Let's I don't need to get you go riled up today. Let's not go there today again. Right. But you can get it at the distillery. Yeah. Yeah. You got to put your own wax on it too. Yeah. It's always a good experience as well. So Steph did the wax and she got a nice long drip on that. I'm still a little disappointed. Well, I think they probably knew everybody was trying to dunk the hell out of this. Well, there's a screen. There's a screen in the wax. You can't go down too far enough. And then they're like, no, no, no, you gotta get it. then they know. Yeah. She was like even trying to go at an angle and scoop it. Yeah. They know. Yeah. That's great nose. I don't know if the flavor matches the nose as well. It's good, don't get me wrong. You you get a little bit of the burn on the top of the tongue. Yeah. Yeah. You know, and that's I think that's standard issue makers. Yeah. That's what yeah. And I probably why I wasn't as much of a makers fan when I first started in a bourbon. Yeah. But it's kind of grown on me. Yeah. Like that. Star Hill Farms. that was yeah, that's a good model. But but again, I we talk about them going outside of their comfort zone. I again I it's their bourbon, right? Like it's but it's supposedly special farm raised and local and all those w well, but that is that is a totally different recipe. So okay. You know, that's all wheat. now the I do like the the heart releases. Yeah, they're good too. That twenty twenty four was really good. I have had the Cellar Aged. Now I've learned what the actual cellar is. It's that that addition to the back of the distillery, you know, the storehouses that goes back down in the ground. Yeah. And so that was interesting. That was it's cool. Yeah. But I do like the the cellar aged. I I that's that's on my to get list. Yeah. I know they came out with a 2026. But I would like to get a twenty twenty four or twenty twenty five. Yeah. On my to get list. That list keeps getting longer, not shorter, that's the problem. Yeah. So Wednesday last or this? This coming Wednesday. I'm taking my son Wyatt so he can take his permit. Uh-oh. Big day. Big day. So then we'll have two with permits. Since Logan, our oldest, is already got his permit. It's gonna get interesting around here real fast. Yeah, you just don't think it's possible. Yeah, you know. Listen, Lily turns thirteen this week, so yeah. She's already talking about getting a job when she turns fourteen. Like she's ready. Yeah. Wyatt's ready too. Happens fast. Wyatt also wants his motorcycle permit. how you feel about that? Not good. I I I've lost a number of friends on motorcycles and I am not My family all rode motorcycles, all had accidents. I never got one because I knew I'd you'd find me up in a tree somewhere. Yeah. I mean a and He really wants it bad, but at the same time, I'm like, let's learn how to drive the car first. Let's stay enclosed for a year or two before we get there. Yeah. See how this goes for you. It's funny. Kids. Kids. And then in little more than a year, we'll have two more. Wesley and Mallory will both be fifteen and a half and they'll be getting so I'll have two at the same time. I'll have to be logging the hours and driving and So I I think we're gonna we're gonna look for a car for Wyatt. So Logan's got a car that was his grandpa's. So now we're gonna look for a car for Wyatt and go through that. But I I told him, I said, if if you look for one, let's look for one far away. And he goes like why? I said, Well, number one, because it won't have the salt and the rust. Let's let's look for something in California, Arizona, Texas, something down south. I said then what we'll do is I mean, since we fly for free, we will just go get on an airplane, fly out and get it after you have your permit, and then highway your back. W I will drive it home with you. Well that's nice. So I thought that would be a yeah. You know, like awesome little trip. Yeah. You could you've talked about this. How many times are you ever gonna get to do it again in the future and yeah, by the time you start putting together schedules and everything, make the most of it while you can. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I I got to drive when I was young with my dad a lot. One time was come home from a karate tournament. My dad had this F-250 Ford truck. Okay. Diesel. five speed. And I was 13 years old. And my dad hurt his left leg at a karate tournament. jeez. Couldn't drive. And we were in Reading, Pennsylvania. that's not a short drive. No. So I ended up Thirteen driving us home. Wow. I did a lot of driving before I turned sixteen. not a lot of it legal. Right. But well, none of it legal, I guess, but none of it sanctioned or anything else. So I Yeah, everybody's got their own path there. Yeah. So And my dad my dad had me in a drag car, you know, doing quarter mile stuff, twelve years old as my first pass. We got to drive out in old gravel roads and closed roads, so Like old limestone core. We used to that's how we learned how to drive, was out there. Yeah, that's how you learn how to drive on snow, is on that old limestone gravel, loose stuff. So we would that's how I learned to drive and then back and forth from Pennsylvania for a little bit. Yeah. All right. Got a preference? I think I I like things on both of them. I Yeah. The nose is better on the makers. Right. I think the flavor is a little bit better on the Penelope. I think it's a little more mild. Yeah. Yep. It's got an extra year. Two. Well, we actually we don't know. But we know that to your point it's seven plus probably a little bit of aging and the other one's eleven, so it is probably a little bit older. And that probably explains a little bit of bite you get on the on the makers. Yep. But both are good. I mean both are Yeah, I'd come back to both of those. Yeah. And you do get that French oaked on both of them. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yep, a little bit more. I don't know if it's refined or sweeter, or I think it's a little bit of sweeter, but Little bit better finish. Yeah, that's good stuff. Yeah. Well, I appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you for coming over. thanks for having me. things to look forward to. we may have some guests next week. So we're looking forward to that. We'll announce that as that gets closer. It's always cool having people come in come in here, you know. That'll be fun. but other than that. That's it. That's it. It's good though. Working this week, so you're done. Yeah. Gotta do it. I'm just I'm just disappointed. I'm going to New York. You're not flying. We need I need to work that out better next time. Yeah, I think I'm going the next day, to be honest. yeah. Yeah. That's funny. But yeah, we'll be around. Okay. Well, hey, like, subscribe, please. follow, share, leave a review. Like, leave comments, leave a review. We can go to our website, bourbonbrassandbeyond.com. Or you can leave a comment on anywhere you're watching, you know, because we're on Apple, Spotify, what else? YouTube, Deezer, that's a new one. Well, I think you're also on Amazon. We're not on Amazon. Right. I mean it's yeah. Right. But if you were to go to like a to watch it, watch it, yeah. A podcast player or or whatnot. so please leave a comment. Any complaints? Email Bob. please. constructive criticism, info at bourbonbrassandbeyond.com. Get you. Yeah. Fancy. Fancy stuff. I'm setting you up with an email address. I know, I saw it. I'm in. All right. So hey, have a good night. Thanks for watching. Later, everybody.