Maker’s Mark Private Selection Bill Samuels Jr. Selection (Pt.2) Review | Whiskey Raiders
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Maker’s Mark Private Selection Bill Samuels Jr. Selection (Pt.2)

  • Distiller:

    Maker's Mark

  • Bottler:

    Maker's Mark

  • ABV:

    55.45%

  • Age:

    NAS

  • Price:
    $$$$$
  • Intro:

    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.

  • Nose:

    Orange zest, caramel, confectioners sugar, light maple candies.

  • Taste:

    Thin to medium mouth feel, very little heat. Caramel, honey, some pepper, lightly sweet with maple. The heat grows with time, though, and some dryness arises. Faint tobacco.

  • Finish:

    Medium length, mild in heat. Sweet caramel, toffee, little bit of oak and tobacco.

  • Overall:

    Overall, this was well made, if a little muted. It wasn't terribly complex, but it was enjoyable.

  • Score:

    5

  • By t8ke
  • Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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