Black Bourbon Society's Maker's Mark® Private Selection: Recipe 2 Takes Home Pair of First Place Medals at 2021 International Whisky Competition

The Organization's Custom Maker's Mark Whisky was Named World's Best Bourbon and Best American Whiskey

ATLANTA, June 17, 2021 Black Bourbon Society (BBS), in collaboration with the Maker's Mark® Private Selection program, has created a custom bourbon that an expert panel has deemed the best in the world. Black Bourbon Society's Maker's Mark Private Selection: Recipe 2 was named Best Bourbon and Best American Whiskey overall at the 12^th annual International Whisky Competition (IWC), bringing in two first place gold medals – the competition's highest category honor.

The IWC awards mark the latest achievements in a string of high-profile wins for Black Bourbon Society and Maker's Mark. Black Bourbon Society was awarded a Double Gold medal for its first Maker's Mark Private Selection Bourbon at the 19th Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) in 2019, while Maker's Mark took home its own Double Gold medal for its classic Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon at the same competition in 2021.

"We are so proud and humbled to have been recognized with such distinguished honors from the prestigious International Whisky Competition and view this achievement as further proof that intentional diversity will always produce superior results," said Co-Founders of Black Bourbon Society Samara and Armond Davis.  "We knew that the best expression we could create would be a perfect blend of our two very different palates, and the unique Maker's Mark Private Selection program allowed for us to do exactly that. We look forward to continuing our successful partnership with Maker's Mark as we work together to push the envelope and advocate for diversity and inclusion in the spirits industry."

Billed as the world's most-followed whisky competition, the IWC brings the best whiskies from around the world to be tasted and rated by a professional tasting panel, employing a unique medallion point system to name only one winner per category. With 93.8 points, Black Bourbon Society's Maker's Mark Private Selection: Recipe 2 was the highest scored American whisky of any in the entire competition.

"It's been an honor to get to know and work with Samara and Armond Davis over the last few years, and a privilege to collaborate with them on spectacular bourbons that are not only delicious, but that also benefit underserved communities in the spirits industry and encourage diversity, equity and inclusion through Black Bourbon Society's Diversity Distilled philanthropic programs," said Rob Samuels, 8th-Generation Whisky Maker at Maker's Mark. "Black Bourbon Society's first Maker's Mark Private Selection was a fan favorite, and we're thrilled to see that the second selection has only built upon the well-deserved, award-winning legacy of their organization."

This award-winning bourbon, hitting shelves now in celebration of Black Bourbon Society's 5^th anniversary, was created through the Maker's Mark Private Selection program, which allows retail partners to "make their own Maker's®" by finishing fully-matured, cask strength Maker's Mark Bourbon with a custom selection of ten proprietary oak staves. Recipe 2 sets itself a part as one of the first Private Selections to include the newest Maker's Mark Private Selection stave, Roasted French Mendiant. Named after a French confection featuring chocolate, dried fruit and nuts, the stave lends notes of milk chocolate, buttery nut and smooth coffee.

The best-in-class Recipe 2 is now available for $69.99 MSRP (750ml) in Louisville, Ky., Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y., Atlanta, Ga. and Tampa, Fla, and will continue to roll out in California, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Alabama over the next year.

For more information on Black Bourbon Society, please visit www.blackbourbonsociety.com, and for more information about the custom Maker's Mark Private Selection Program and its unique Wood Finishing Series, please visit www.makersmark.com

ABOUT BLACK BOURBON SOCIETY:
Black Bourbon Society is a tiered membership organization open to everyone who enjoys premium spirits and is interested in gaining a deeper appreciation for America's Native Spirit. Black Bourbon Society is crafting a movement that showcases the value of the niche lifestyle and sophisticated palates within the African American Community and beyond. For more information on Black Bourbon Society, please visit www.blackbourbonsociety.com.

ABOUT MAKER'S MARK® BOURBON:
In 1953, in Loretto, Ky., Bill Samuels, Sr., fulfilled his dream to create a handmade and delicious bourbon. He decided to make his whisky in small batches, using soft red winter wheat to enhance the softness and sweetness. He then rotated each barrel by hand for consistency and, finally, aged each barrel to taste. Bill Samuels, Sr., transformed bourbon from a "commodity" into a premium handmade spirit, and today Maker's Mark® continues to make its bourbon the same way. That time-tested approach seems to still be working just fine 60+ years later, as Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon was awarded a Double Gold medal at the esteemed San Francisco Spirits Competition in 2021. In recent years, Maker's Mark has introduced thoughtful, super-premium innovations to its portfolio, including Maker's Mark 46®, Maker's Mark® Cask Strength and Maker's Mark® Private Selection, the brand's first-ever custom barrel program. For more information, visit www.makersmark.com.