Maker's Mark
Maker's Mark
55.1%
NAS
Maker's Mark, one of the larger producers of bourbon in Kentucky, produces wheated bourbon that is sold both domestically and abroad. Until recent years, Maker's only produced a small handful of products. In the last couple of years, though, products like Maker's Mark 46 and Maker's Mark Cask Strength have seen domestic releases. A major criticism of the brand, though, was the absence of a barrel selection program in favor of wax dipped limited editions. That has now changed. A barrel selection at Maker's Mark is unique, though, in that you choose a combination of staves to mature in a barrel, and that barrel is bottled. This is different from almost any other barrel selection process on the market. For better or for worse, this creates a very different product than their core line of expressions. I've set out to try approximately a dozen of these various private selections, completely blind, to gather my thoughts on how their releases are shaking out.
Honey and citrus. Orange peel, lemon zest. Vanilla cream, waffle cone, pepper and light tobacco.
Medium mouth feel, light heat. Cocoa, honey, pipe tobacco. Lightly fruity, cherry, currants and orange zest.
Short to medium in length, drying and oaky but loaded with vanilla, cocoa and citrus.
This was different and unique. A hair on the dry side, but enjoyable and loaded with some flavors that have become quite consistent as of late from these.
6