Maker's Mark
Maker's Mark
55.2%
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.
Creme brulee, musty leather. Dusty pipe tobacco. Rich cocoa, nutty peanut brittle. Lightly oaky.
Medium to thick mouth feel, honey, caramel candies. Peanut brittle. Deep stewed fruits, fig, currant and blackberry. Pipe tobacco.
Long, rich, no real heat. Stewed fruits, thick rich tobacco, maple and brown sugar, lots of nougat.
Super reminiscent of a rich, ultra dusty bourbon. This was an incredible selection, overflowing with a lot of notes I'm surprised to find in Maker's Mark.
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