Tastes
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Maker's Mark 46 French Oaked
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed June 23, 2018 (edited December 10, 2018)A delicious unique bourbon. Nicely balanced. Slight honeysuckle/butterscotch sweetness with 'pretty' dessert baking spices (cardmom, cinnamon) and vanilla, red apple, sweet almond/maraschino cherry. Countered with slightly bitter, toasty wood, almost fresh cut sawdust that dries it out, keeping it from being cloying. Nice dry, moderate finish. I can't help but imagine eating an under-filled cherry danish at a lumberyard. Something for everyone, from newbies that want easy drinking and sweet from the wheat, to even rye fans that like some spice and complexity from the finishing staves -
Tasting neat. Nice light brown sugar/toffee sweetness with red fruits, balanced by some aged oak, vanilla. Slight baking spices, pepper, and sweet tobacco. Easy to drink, well made, bright, and pretty. It's about as good as it gets for the type: Sub $30, low rye, non wheater. A trendy and now harder-to-find bottle that exemplifies the style and worth some real estate on your shelf if you see if for a good price25.0 USD per Bottle
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'Pretty' and refined. but thin and overpriced. Light caramel, light spice, light fruitiness and ends with that light Beam nuttiness. The closest comparison would be Four Roses Yellow Label, which is about half the price. BH gives you the nuttier JB yeast and a touch more barrel. Would love this to be proofed and priced like Knob Creek. Alternatives: Four Roses Yellow for delicate/floral/proof/better price, Four Roses Small Batch for similar flavors, but more intense and a little better price. Old Grand Dad Bonded for same mash/yeast/flavor, higher intensity, much cheaper, but maybe slightly less choice barreling
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2010 Version. Pretty darn good easy drinker, but the 96 distiller score and single barrel label may give too high of expectations. I'd give it a 88. A light touch of caramel/toffee. Definite oak, peanut, and a bit of leather and light fruits and cherry. Pretty well rounded and textbook bourbon. This is in quite a spot in Heaven Hill's own portfolio. Elijah Craig for about the same price gives you some more proof and amped up the woodiness. McKenna SiB/BiB for a few bucks more is an absolute steal. 1783 is a half step down, but gives quite a value proposition for nearly 10 bucks less and same proof. Perhaps a nice readily available compromise. If you like Four Roses Small Batch.. this is worth a try for a change of pace
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