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"  After publically announcing a decision to change the alcohol content of Maker&amp;#039;s Mark, company execs have changed their minds. They will not change the 45% Alcohol by Volume to 42% largely because of an extremely negative social media response to the original announcement. According to the Associated Press, Maker&amp;#039;s Mark tweeted to fans on Sunday, &amp;quot;You spoke. We listened.&amp;quot; The tweet meant that the alcohol content in Maker&amp;#039;s Mark would not be changed after all. The idea to alter the Bourbon had stemmed from a shortage problem. The company was going to add slightly more water to the alcohol, without changing the flavor, to stretch the number of bottles that could be made from each batch. More From Delish: Drink Your Food: 16 Vodka Flavors Inspired by Everday Eats Unfortunately, everyone was so busy focusing on making more Maker&amp;#039;s Mark that no one thought how customers would feel about a change being made to a brand that has stayed exactly the same for over 50 years. &amp;quot;Our focus was on the supply problem. That led to us focusing on a solution. We got it totally wrong,&amp;quot; said Bill Samuels Chairman Emeritus and the founder&amp;#039;s son. Maker&amp;#039;s Mark officials heard from thousands of fans that they would rather put up with a bourbon shortage than see a change to the esteemed drink. After taking in the feedback, most of it in the form of angry Facebook and Twitter comments, the Maker&amp;#039;s Mark execs have halted all plans to water down the spirit. In a letter to &amp;quot;Friends&amp;quot; posted on the Maker&amp;#039;s Mark website Rob and Bill Samuels stated, &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;ll set about getting back to bottling the handcrafted bourbon that our father/grandfather, Bill Samuels, Sr. created. Same recipe. Same production process. Same product.&amp;quot; More From Delish: Spirits that Surprise: 12 Weird Alcoholic Drinks While Maker&amp;#039;s Mark fans have seen a victory for the moment, the original problem still has not been solved. Because Maker&amp;#039;s Mark has seen a rapid increase in popularity, the company hasn&amp;#039;t been able to keep up with demand. It takes six to seven years to age the bourbon, so the company can expand production now, but it will take at least six years to fix today&amp;#039;s supply issue. Do you think Maker&amp;#039;s Mark made the right decision?  Find more great food content on Delish:  Search for the perfect recipe from our homepage Find out the latest food news Get a recipe book to save your favorite dishes Sign up for our free newsletters Check us out on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a39943/makers-mark-wont-change-alcohol-content/>