Maker's Mark Cask Strength

Very smooth for cask strength!

Strong. Vanilla

The nose is subdued with an alcohol strength in the background and a lightly fruity element with vanilla and a hint of rye grass up front. It doesn't smell all that aged, but it also smells fairly well balanced. There are some nice notes of wood on the nose that blend with the grass, but they are on the young side. The palate has a richer, woodier flavor than expected with a nice balanced toffee element that goes with the wood. There's somewhat of a lighter caramel going on here, but it isn't that sickly light caramel that ruins so many bourbons (though it does cause a bit of worry). There's a little bit of smoky meat on the palate that reminds me of Lagavulin 16 in a nice way. The vanilla is present for sure and it fits in well. A lot of smoke persists here and somehow it isn't super sweet with all of the butterscotch and caramel. This cask strength is on the mild side, but it's still quite numbing. A bigger sip reveals more alcohol and harshnesswith that meaty smokiness playing a bigger role, but the sweetness still making its way in a bit. It does, however, taste more like a wheated bourbon (lightly flavored) with barrel and smoke willfully added than it originally tasted. Nice bright cherry still makes its way through though. The balance and complexity are better here than in Elijah Craig 12. If it weren't for the harsh alcohol, this would be a nice contender to compete with regular Elijah Craig or possibly Belle Meade Cask Strength. The fruit really gives it life. With water added, more bitter wood and vanilla come out. The licorice becomes more present on the finish too, along with a weird faint hint of cotton candy. More of that Jim Beam Black balanced flavor profile does make its way out, though it's a bit more jagged than plain Elijah Craig or Jim Beam Black. Still, this is much better than I expected from Maker's. It's fun to add water to it, but at the end of the day it's sometimes richer than Elijah Craig, but it's never more balanced and complex. It sure isn't bad for the price though. It doesn't numb as much as Elijah Craig 12 does, but it certainly does numb. Ultimately, it's perfectly fine and has a bit more complexity than Elijah Craig 12, but tastes more like rubber at low ABV. It's totally sippable, but not something I'd recommend.

Really smooth! Getting some hints of vanilla in the finish