Maker's Mark Private Select Bourbon

Binny’s “BP” Pick 109 proof 3 Baked American Pure 2 3 Seared French Cuvée 1 Maker 46 2 Roasted French Mocha 1 Toasted Oak Spice Neat from a Glencairn glass. Bottle has been open for a few months. Nose is oak, corn, baked bread, maple syrup, vanilla. Something slightly herbal in there Sweet, woodsy scent. Heavy oak, charred spices on the palate with burnt caramel and brown sugar. Something herbal again but can’t quite put my finger on it. Oily but not too thick. Heavy oak and spice on the medium long finish. That oak just lingers on the tongue, reminds me of Woodford Double Oak with a coffee like taste that hangs around. Conclusion: Very oak forward, spicy bourbon with minimal sweetness. Something different for the shelf but slightly overpriced IMO.

Oak stave selection, Europa Park edition 2018

Lizardville Columbus Ohio recipe. French cuvée, Maker’s 46, roasted French mocha, toasted French spice. Wow this is a stellar choice of flavor. Nose is candy. Super sweet. Certainly get the sweet scent of the French mocha. Taste is a lot of char/barrel toast flavor. with a lot of bite on the tongue. Goes down smooth for 110.5 proof but certainly not “smooth”. A contradiction, yes, but any bourbon drinker should understand. Sits on the palette but great flavors. 9/24 Lizardville

Ulele, Tampa FL (Columbia Restaurant Group Batch #1), 108.0 proof 3 Baked American Pure 2 1 Seared French Cuvee 2 Makers 46 2 Roasted French Mocha 2 Toasted French Spice Frankly, not overwhelming. Lacks distinction. Nose is light and floral. The palate was a bit flat to me, at first spicy, oily, and woody but some bitterness and fades fast.

This is a Private Select bottle from My local store Pour Vous in Hendersonville, TN. The staves they chose are: 2x 46, 6x Roasted French Mocha, and 2x Toasted French Spice. I’m excited to try this after having the regular Maker’s 46 and loving it. I’m also going to do a side by side with regular makers, 46 and this private select. The nose definitely has some oak going on, with baking spices, some sweetness, a little vanilla and some corn and dark fruit on the tail end. The palate has a really nice thickness to it. I definitely get a lot of oak and leather along with some musty barn which I love. I also get some corn in there too. It’s sweet too, but just the right amount for me. The finish is long with a little burn, but really nice. I really like this store pick. It’s definitely reminiscent of the 46, but with its higher proof and different oak staves, the private select has its own somewhat unique profile. Though on the initial side-by-side, I think I like where the 46 goes a little more than the Private Select.