As a part of the Bavarian Inn Zehnder family’s commitment to innovation and continuously creating enjoyable experiences for guests, in 2019, they collaborated with the Maker’s Mark team to create a Bavarian Inn Private Select series of bourbon. Each bottle reflects the family’s passion for quality, storytelling, and the art of sharing something truly special with every guest.
This journey began when the Bavarian Inn Zehnder family welcomed two members of the Maker’s Mark team to one of our signature bourbon dinners. During the dinner, the family and Maker’s Mark team began discussing the possibility of creating a bourbon exclusive to Bavarian Inn. From that evening forward, the Bavarian Inn and Maker’s Mark teams worked hand in hand to create a bourbon experience made especially for our guests.
Bourbon is a uniquely American spirit, rooted in Kentucky’s distilling heritage. To bring our vision to life, 7 of our Bavarian Inn Restaurant team members traveled to the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, the heart of bourbon country, to explore the art of bourbon-making.
The distilling process must begin with a mash bill of at least 51% corn accompanied by a blend of rye, barley, and wheat. It is this precise combination of grains that allows each distiller to craft a distinct flavor profile. For our Private Select Series, the Bavarian Inn Team had the unique opportunity to help create this flavor profile by selecting staves, charred wooden blocks that infuse the bourbon with nuanced flavors during nine weeks of the aging process.
The next step was to sample and create different combinations of flavors. Curating the bourbons that would take on the Bavarian Inn name was an intricate process, involving chemistry and precise measurements. Our team experimented with different combinations and collaborated closely with the Maker’s Mark experts to craft a bourbon that perfectly reflects our commitment to quality, flavor, and the guest experience.
The bourbons that the Bavarian Inn team decided would be the flavors that represent the Bavarian Inn name are the Matriarch Legacy 100 (ML100), named in honor of our matriarch Dorothy Zehnder, and Bavarian Inn Private Select, Triple B (Bavarian, Bill Zehnder, & Bourbon). Both bourbons are made exclusively by Maker’s Mark.
Today, the Bavarian Inn Private Select Bourbon can be enjoyed at multiple locations throughout Frankenmuth, including Bavarian Inn Restaurant, Bavarian Inn Lodge, Martha’s Gift Shop, Michigan on Main, and Frank’s Muth! For those who wish to take a piece of that experience home, Martha’s Gift Shop offers full bottles of our Private Select Bourbon available for purchase.
Click here to watch our behind-the-scenes video of our Private Select Bourbons!
