Maker's Mark Cask Strength

Batch 18-02, at 55.45% ABV. The bottle has been open about 45 days, and is roughly 3/4 empty. This taste is from a glencairn, after resting for 20 minutes. The nose starts as expected, opening with vanilla and leading to a newly-cut field of hay containing a large stand of fresh honeysuckle, before throwing a curveball in the form of Play-Doh and a dash of grape bubblicious. Palate is sweeter than my previous bottle, and the mouthfeel is quite a bit heavier, bordering on creamy. It doesn't drink at 55%, displaying vanilla, creme-brulee, honey, and soft caramel. Think Werther's original in a liquid form. The cardamom finally makes an appearance mid-way through, and when the cinnamon arrives right afterward, it plays a supporting role to the much softer, less in-your-face, cast. There's also a very interesting thread reminiscent of English breakfast tea running throughout the whole sip, tying everything together before fading in the close. And the close is where we finally find a bit of astringency and wood; but it's far from objectionable, working well to balance the sweetness and spice with just enough dryness to make it not cloying. Finish is nice and clean, albeit slightly short, with the caramel lingering before the breakfast tea reappears to dry the mouth in preparation for the next sip. This was a night and day difference from my last bottle, and one that I'll probably buy again in the future.

I really like this whisky

I'd like to start this off by saying this one was initially SO hot for the proof it was ridiculous. But after just the a couple days of air in the bottle it mellowed out dramatically to the point where I can give it a fair review. So if you try it and it seems super hot at first...it gets better. Remember those Rolo candies with the caramel wrapped in chocolate? Well the nose on this one is like melted Rolos. Caramel for days. There's also some raisin and date in there as well as green oak and barrel spice. On the palate we get an exact match of the nose, so not much to say here other than I found a similar experience to the Private Select; caramel and vanilla sticky sweetness upfront followed by spicy heat, and not much in the mid-palate. Just a characteristic of the brand that I find to be a detriment. Finish is still hot; drinks like it's 125+ proof. And let me tell you, the heat is coming from unattenuated alcohol. But it's not excessive once that bottle has had a chance to breathe. Finish is long I'll give it that, and the Kentucky hug is real. There is a hint of hazelnut once the heat fades which is nice. Overall, too many flaws to be great. I can't think of any reason that I would pay $53 for this instead of bottles like Old Forester 1920, Old Ezra Barrel Strength, or Noah's Mill all of which are better and cheaper. So we will put this firmly in the “no rebuy” list.