When Jacob Kiper’s father passed away from cancer in 1992, he left his 10-year-old son a special gift. Though he did not know it at the time, that bottle was a bit of a legacy in the making — and decades later allowed Jacob to identify with his father in a way he could have never imagined.
“Four years ago my mom told me she had saved the last bottle of Maker’s Mark that was my dad’s. When she asked me if I wanted it, I took it,” Kiper said.
Although Kiper says he had no previous interest in bourbon, he decided to pick up the book “American Whiskey, Bourbon and Rye: A guide to America’s Favorite Spirit” by Clay Risen as a way to feel connected with his father.
“I realized that I did not know a lot about bourbon,” Kiper said. “Being from Kentucky, that was a bit unacceptable.”
He started bourbon tasting and continued his discovery of the distilled spirit’s history by picking up new books every time he got the chance.
“A few days ago I finished my 260th book about booze history,” he said. “I am currently reading number 261. … It’s a way for me to identify with something my dad enjoyed, decades later. Dad had been through numerous cases of cancer over the years. I did not know much about what my dad enjoyed.”
On Nov. 14, Kiper posted on Twitter and Facebook what that bottle meant to him on the anniversary of his dad’s death.
When Maker’s Mark officials saw the Twitter post, they sent Kiper a personal letter letting him know that his story touched them.
“I shared the letter they sent me and it was viewed by 1.63 million people, which is absurd,” Kiper said. “The letter meant something to a lot of people. I shared it for a few friends that I interact with. I did not expect Maker’s Mark to see it; it was a bit of an emotional moment.”
This week Maker’s Mark sent Thomas Bolton, a diplomat for Kentucky, by Kiper’s house to personally deliver a couple of bottles of bourbon to him.
“Maker’s Mark is the first distillery I visited as a kid,” Kiper said. “We were visiting my grandmother and my dad wanted to stop in and see the distillery on the way. Keep in mind bourbon tourism was not really a thing then. I was only five or six, but I remember my dad told me not to tell my grandmother that we went.”
While Maker’s Mark is the drink that started his interest in bourbon as a hobby, he has decided to dive headfirst into his study of American whiskey history. He still has another 150 books still on his reading list.
“I love being able to understand a product that my dad enjoyed with his friends,” Kiper said. “My mom also appreciates that 28 years later I have a way to connect with my dad.”
