The Owl Shop in New Haven showcased Maker’s 46 and Maker’s Wood Finishing Series FAE-02 for a Dec. 14 tasting and Maker’s Mark Happy Hour Holiday Cocktail Celebration. Led by Daniella Solano, Maker’s Mark Diplomat NYC and Harrison Love, Beam Suntory Territory Manager, Connecticut, guests enjoyed learning about the two wood-finished expressions served for the tasting, as well as in cocktails, the Maker’s Mark Gold Rush and Old Fashioned. Maker’s Mark small-batch bourbon whiskeys are produced in Loretto, Kentucky by Beam Suntory, founded by Bill Samuels, Sr., whose quest to create Maker’s Mark began in 1953 with his only copy of the family’s 170-year-old recipe. The Wood Finishing Series launched with a first limited-edition offering in 2019, Maker’s Mark RC6, a fruit-forward expression named for the stave the distillery uses to highlight fruit and spice flavors in their wheated bourbon; tasted in New Haven was the 2021 offering FAE-02, which stands for “fatty acid esters,” named for the chains of lipids left in bourbon during bottling. Director of Innovation Jane Bowie said Maker’s Wood Finishing Series FAE-02 places “the focus on rich, consistent texture and tone that stems from fatty acid esters. Just like the things we find so comforting about artisanal butters, olive oils and creamy spreads, FAE-02 delivers a fattier, full-bodied, mature Maker’s Mark bourbon that makes for an ideal sip on a fall evening.”