Maker's Mark 46 Cask Strength

I've enjoyed Maker's 46 since its introduction some 14 years ago. I typically prefer MM46 to the flagship label, but I find the MM101 to be the most satisfying of Bill Samuels' contribution to the bourbon world. It has been a while since I've had a bottle of the 46 on my bar and seeing the cask strength expression just sitting there on the shelf, all by itself... Tasted neat from a grappa copita after a few minutes rest. This is the last of the bottle, a perfect 1.5oz pour. I've enjoyed this in an Old Fashioned, a couple Manhattan variations, on a rock and neat and it didn't take long for the bottle to go from neck pour to final pour. The nose is cherries in syrup, almonds and walnuts, caramel and brown sugar. It's sweet, but certainly not saccharine. There's a whiff of ethanol and a touch of latex paint that hints at the 110+ proof. Mouthfeel is silky and not quite as rich as the very best cask strength whiskies can be. Still, it's quite good. The flavor is rich with slightly bitter wood tannin that plays against the sugar from the corn and the bready richness of the wheat. The profile is familiar 46 with the volume turned up a bit - or maybe the saturation knob was twiddled a bit. There's more contrast than I remember from my last bottle of MM46, but there's also that bitter element. The finish is moderate and unremarkable. There's a slight pepperiness and some left-over syrup that coats the back of the palate. Yes, I like this just fine. It's an excellent bourbon and a favorite wheated expression. But I'm not blown away. It's not a Knob Creek 120 proof flavor bomb. It's not a Chattanooga 111 Stagg Jr killer. It's good, but it's not great. I rate on a bell curve where the average product should score between 2 and 3; the peak of distribution. This is much better than average, but not quite good enough to make it into the top quintile.

Punches above it's price point for a big labrl distiller

Smooth, vanilla & cookies