Making your own Maker’s Mark private barrel selection for Maker’s Mark 46 is daunting. There are ten staves to be placed in the barrel, and each stave can be one of five different woods that gives a different flavor to the whiskey. Jane Conner, Maker’s Mark’s brand ambassador, told us that are 1,001 different combinations that can be made. Math is not my strong point, so I took her word for it.

Each blend we created was first made in 100ml sample…