TILLAMOOK, ORE. – Tillamook County Creamery Association announced the latest addition to its Maker’s Reserve line is a 10-year vintage: 2012 Extra Sharp White Cheddar.

The Oregon-based dairy cooperative’s vintages also include featured aged cheddars from 2016, 2017 and 2018.

"These special cheeses are selected from only the very best of our already exceptionally made cheddars, aged to perfection, and are worth the wait,” said Jill Allen, Tillamook’s director of product excellence.

The process for coming up with the Maker’s Reserve cheddars involves a sensory lab after an initial 60 to 70 days of aging, per Tillamook. A team of tasting and sensory experts test each batch so that it can be graded against Tillamook’s signature flavor. A select few are then aged for the reserve program.

The 2012 Extra Sharp White Cheddar includes hints of mango, pineapple, starfruit, honeysuckle, brown butter and macadamia nuts.

Tillamook also added a new three-year aged cheddar to its Maker’s Reserve products: 2019 Extra Sharp White Cheddar. The cooperative said the 2019 variety’s unique flavors include sweet cream and custard, with caramel aromas.

In conjunction with the rollout for its 10-year vintage, Tillamook partnered with Truffle Shuffle, a company that specializes in interactive culinary experiences, to host a live virtual cooking class on April 10. As part of the video presentation, Tillamook senior director of research and development Steve Marko will lead a vertical tasting of Maker's Reserve cheddars. That will be followed by Truffle Shuffle chefs guiding the creation of American wagyu cheeseburgers with the 2012 Maker’s Reserve.