Beam Suntory-owned Maker’s Mark has unveiled the latest release within its Wood Finishing City Series, which made its debut in 2022 with the New York City and Sydney expressions.

The Frankfurt City Edition is now available exclusively at Frankfurt Airport Terminal 1, in partnership with Gebr. Heinemann. The launch is being supported by a high-profile experiential activation space which pays homage to Frankfurt, featuring a tasting bar, brand imagery, tastemaker information, uniformed Maker’s Mark ambassadors and exclusive screen-printed tote bags.

The activation went live in December 2023 and is running until the end of January. The collection will be extended to airport locations in two additional cities later this year.

Maker’s Mark bottles Frankfurt spirit

The Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Frankfurt City Edition is described as bold and dark toned, combining sour cherry notes and a long, dusty finish. Bottled at 55.1% AVB, the Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series Frankfurt Edition is available in limited quantities, with an RRSP of €99.90/US$109.50.

To create the newest expression in the City Series, Maker’s Mark worked with Frankfurt tastemakers Denny Ginzel and Andreas Schoeler, to evoke the essence of the city they call home, through the medium of handcrafted bourbon.

Ginzel is Chef de bar at Ritzi Stuttgart – a brasserie-style restaurant that incorporates a 16-person one Michelin star Chef’s Table. The restaurant’s bar and drink concepts are inspired by Ginzel’s international travels, with influences drawn from Thailand, Australia and Italy. Schoeler is co-founder of the award-winning One Trick Pony bar, which opened in Freiburg in 2017.

Achieving the unique taste visions of each release in the City Series is made possible through the brand’s wood stave-finishing technique, which explores and enhances distinctive characteristics already present in Maker’s Mark bourbon.

To craft each custom expression, the brand finished fully-matured, cask strength Maker’s Mark in a second barrel with a custom selection of wood staves, based on the tastemakers’ ideal flavour vision. The barrels rested in the Maker’s Mark limestone bourbon cellar, allowing the cask strength bourbon to interact with the staves to develop the expression’s unique flavour.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to bring a taste of our distillery in Loretto, Kentucky to the global travel retail market through the continuation of the City Series,” noted Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and grandson of the founders at Maker’s Mark.

“Just as my grandparents sat down with a taste vision in mind when creating Maker’s Mark, our talented tastemakers in Frankfurt have channelled the experience of this dynamic city to create a bespoke, flavourful bourbon that we’re thrilled to share with our travelling fans.”

“We see enormous potential for premium American whisky, which will be a key focus for the group in 2024,” noted Beam Suntory Brand Marketing Director Global Travel Retail Manuel Gonzalez. “This new release from Maker’s Mark perfectly captures the character of Frankfurt, and is an exciting addition to the brand’s Wood Finishing City Series.”

He added: “This unique release offers yet another collectible opportunity for our travelling consumers, while enhancing our brand storytelling, and truly showcasing our commitment to capturing a Sense of Place. The Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing City Series also highlights our ability to tailor our portfolio and create compelling products, in order to really connect with our customers and build brand loyalty.”

Frankfurt Airport Category Manager Dominik Paul commented: “We are very grateful that we were able to realise this exclusive Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series in Frankfurt together with Beam Suntory, and to accompany the launch with a meaningful activation in one of our most frequented and best-selling shops.

“With the activation we can offer our customers exclusive added value in our shop and with the Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series Frankfurt Edition an exclusive highlight.”

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