Maker's Mark Private Select Bourbon

Nose of strong toffee, good burn upfront with some sweetness

1baked amber pure 2, 5 seared fr cuv, 3 roasted fr mocha, 1 toasted fr spi: “Taster’s panel”

This Oak Stave selection is from Kappy's Fine Wine and Spirits, and was bottled at 110.3 proof. For the Kappy's Private Select, 3 seared French Cuvee staves, 4 Maker's 46 staves, 2 Roasted French Mocha staves, and 1 Toasted French Spice stave was used. Nose: The nose was somewhat subdued. There was just a slight amount of butterscotch and cherry vanilla present, with a little bit of ethanol burn. Palate: very full bodied at the start, lots of buttered rum, vanilla, and caramel are present with just a touch of cinnamon. Finish: VERY long finish, which is quite nice/surprising—the tastes where lingering on my tongue and down my throat for a good minute after, likely the result of the Roasted French Mocha staves. The finish was dry, not nearly as oily as standard Maker's Cask Strength, and tasted like dark fruits and chocolate. The best way I can describe it is a poor man's Booker's "Tommy's Batch" or and overpriced Noah's Mill — a similar flavor profile but without the burn, and spice that you would normally expect in a higher proof bottling. The finish is definitely better than the initial pallet. When compared to the lesser expensive Maker's Cask Strength, overall I would give this a 3.5. While it is still a pleasant drink, this particular selection does not quite live up to its asking price. I love that there are at least a thousand different Stave combinations one can choose from and am curious to try a different combination; maybe one with less Maker's 46, and more of the Roasted French Mocha and Toasted French Spice.

Calandros market “Nilla Bomb” barrel. Loaded with all sorts of vanilla dessert flavors and aromas: buttercream frosting, vanilla frosting, creme brûlée, vanilla pound cake, etc. so many complex wood notes. I can nose this for hours, I’ve never encountered a more complex and appealing nose than this!

Private selection from Wine Palace of Livonia. 👍👍

American whiskey tasting evening, Sydney, 21 September 18. Whiskey #4 Nose: Lots of toffee and caramel and a full, hefty oakiness. There's a sweet berry note like cherries or raspberries, and earthy cinnamon spice and ginger, plus and hint of peanut. Water amplifies the woody notes and also brings out brown sugar, pickle water and a slight minty aroma. Palate: A sweet honey/caramel arrival that almost instantly develops into hot cinnamon, black pepper and chilli spice. This persists but over time is tempered by a sweet fruitiness, as of red berries, that enters from the sidelines as it moves towards the finish. Lots of heavy woody favours. Water brings out notes of nuts and vanilla and tempers the heat. Finish: Medium/long. The finish is the conclusion of the palate with nothing new emerging. The final flavours are woody and caramel, and a touch of red berries, but it turns slightly dry right at the end with tannic notes that are quite welcome. This was an appealing whiskey and I returned to it repeatedly throughout the tasting. It held up well against everything but was outclassed by the Woodford Reserve cask strength, which was the final whiskey of the night. Although there is quite a hot kick in the palate I found it to be approachable and not at all overbearing, however water improved the experience by generally softening and loosening the profile which allowed a lot of otherwise hidden aromas and flavours to emerge. I'd recommend a good dash of still water for this one, or even an ice cube and wait until the ice is mostly melted. This expression is available in a myriad forms, as I understand, but the standard stocks in Australia all seem to be the same. The configuration was selected by Rob Samuels, so I guess it's a middle-of-the-road formulation created in bulk for retail outlets. This batch was 55.9% abv, but I have no idea about the stave selection. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)