This week, Maker’s Mark ambassadors received a packet of 32 stickers to affix to checks at restaurants and bars to help promote Maker’s 46, the distillery’s first new product in more than 50 years.
Half of the stickers congratulate establishments for stocking Maker’s 46 (“Thanks for serving Maker’s 46. I’ll be back,” “I’ll tell my friends that you served Maker’s 46”); the others encourage them to do so (“Next time I’m here, I hope you’ll have Maker’s 46 behind the bar,” “Have you heard about Maker’s 46? It’s just like Maker’s Mark, only Maker’s-er”).
As a fan of Maker’s 46 I’d absolutely like to see it offered widely, but the stickers seemed much more direct than most ambassador efforts. I checked in with Emily Reid, ambassador coordinator at Maker’s, to see how they came about.
It turns out the idea was suggested by an avid ambassador. “We did these check stickers about seven years ago for Maker’s Mark,” she said. “Of course, people were already aware of the brand, and we thought it would be a fun way for our ambassadors to say thanks to their favorite retailers. An ambassador who is a big bourbon fan said, ‘Have you thought about doing this for Maker’s 46?’ And we thought, What a great idea.”
Maker’s 46 is on allocation, meaning it’s distributed to various parts of the country based on anticipated demand. The stickers could help shift that schedule, she said. “If consumers take it upon themselves to ask for it, we’ll do our best through the distillery and the distributors to distribute it where people want it.”
Maker’s Mark ambassadors get invited to special events, learn first about special releases and can put their name on a barrel, then purchase a bottle from that barrel when it reaches maturation (mine should be ready in about four years). For more information, click here.
Oh, and if you didn’t get stickers, you can buy them on eBay. A sheet of four is selling for $3.99.
