Maker's Mark 101

Lots of fruit, caramel, corn syrup, nuts, marzipan, vanilla, and oak. Big legs, viscous, and surprisingly soft for over 50%.

Incredibly leggy; deep amber-honey brown color. All 101 percentage points want out through the rim of the copita. There is a pronounced mint, but like a mint scratch-n-sniff sticker from my youth. Quite a bit of bready, sourdough notes; heavy yeast aroma. Black pepper, black licorice and some sawdust shaved from lacquered wood. Once the heat dissipates a touch, some softer brown sugar comes through, with some prickly herbs tickling the nasal cavity. The taste is mint coolness that is part minty and part bitter black licorice/fennel. Black pepper, barrel spice, tobacco leaf. More sourdough bread. Nutty almond syrup and corn syrup. A little bit of banana or plantain, or at least a piece of banana-shaped candy. The burn must evaporate some of the liquid, because it's incredibly dry to the touch. The finish is tobacco leaf and mint leaf. Charcoal and tobacco box. Some spicy mixed peel. Some bitter chocolate and even a bit of charcoal. You can't escape the burn from Maker's 101. It's a combination of bready and spicy, minty and hot. Once you get past the initial inferno, softer almond, brown sugar and banana poke out. It's a terrific bang (or burn) for your buck.

Pretty smooth for 101 proof. Definite wood smoke, some tobacco, etc. Not getting any vanilla or cherry notes until deeper into the tasting. After a drop or two of water the cherry really came out. The smell was still a bit intense but this would be delicious with a large rock to open it up.