Maker's Mark Private Selection, Utah Holiday Batch #4 (0/1/3/5/1) August 2023

Maker's Mark Private Selection Bourbon, Utah Holiday Batch #4. Base is the MM 46 wheated bourbon aged 6-6.5 years, then an additional 10 weeks with a selection of 10 added oak staves. In this batch, 0 baked American Oak, 1 seared French Cuvee, 3 MM 46 staves, 5 roasted French Mendiant, and 1 toasted French Spice stave (see photo explanation of staves below). Bottled at 55.2% ABV, August 2023. Tasted neat. Brown copper color and thin legs in the glass. Nose is light grain sweetness, and a little vanilla oak and spice at the back. In the mouth, that lightness disappears. Big Big BIG tannic oak rush, followed by sweetness and a tingling spice that is cinnamon hot. A little ethanol heat too, and a thinner mouthfeel than I hoped. Finish is that dry spice, oak tannins, and a little sour. The higher proof adds to its length. Interesting riff on the MM profile--the sweetness of the wheated bourbon playing against the BIG tannic depth, spiciness, and smokiness of the treated oak staves. Makes for a more complex (and challenging) drink--darker, richer. Ice tames that dominant tannic note and lets the wheat sweetness back in. Drinks really well, neat or with an ice cube, and will mix well in darker cocktails like a Manhattan. But it's NOT going to be for everybody given its assertive chewy flavor. Similar tasting notes to the MM BEP wood finishing 2023 I tried last year, but the Private Selection is just amped up a notch. Retasted the BEP tonight (side by side with this Private Selection) and it is a sweeter nose, much lighter mouthfeel, and lighter on tannic oak and spice. The BEP is like an intermediate between the MM 46 and this MM Utah Private Selection.