Maker's Mark Cask Strength

hot on the nose... and the neck pour is a bit hot... but after, pure bliss

Bananas on the nose. Palate of caramel and apricots. Heat and spice on the finish.

This is exactly what it sounds like: Maker's Mark, undiluted with water. One of the unique features of Maker's Mark is that they barrel their whiskey at a relatively low ABV -- bourbon often goes into the barrel in the 60-plus percent range -- and so their "cask strength" juice is not going to blow your face open in quite the same way that an Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (regularly 65%+) will. Maker's Mark Cask Strength generally weighs in at a svelte 55% or so, which is a near-ideal proof point. Oddly enough, although I'm not the biggest fan of the baseline Maker's Mark because it sometimes has a strong ethanol aroma, that spirit-like character is left evident in this much more potent version. Instead, a pure hit of vanilla greets the nose, along with cherries. The latter is a signature wheated bourbon note, so it's unsurprisingly strong here. The palate is more of the same, along with a prickle of cinnamon spice that's partially from the bite of the higher proof. In a shocker of the year, this bourbon tastes a lot like Maker's Mark -- just better. The pricing on this bottle seems to vary widely from place to place, but it's a fair value anywhere in the $50-60 range.

Spicier with less vanilla and caramel notes than the Makers