Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2019 RC6

Cherry. Smooth

Oak, cherry, tannins, spice and caramel on the nose. Initial heat on the palate but that turns to cinnamon, almost a leathery singe for a nice barrel strength feel. Might be hot for some neat, but it definitely opens up with some ice.

The nose is rich with wood and spice. There's a big fullness to the nose that is terrific. The proof really comes through. It reminds me of something like Stagg Jr in smell. The nose definitely has a bit of rye dryness to it. It's a really terrific nose with sweet vanilla and cinnamon galore mixed with a tad of brown sugar. The mouthfeel is thinner than expected. It has a big kick with tons of spice. Some tart cherries come in later. There's lot of rich chocolate with spicy cinnamon mixed with the wood. It's an interestingly spice-forward concoction. There plenty of sweetness though with vanilla and brown sugar. There are some cherry notes, but they aren't exceedingly strong. Their freshness is a bit disappointing. There's something a bit earthy in the wood too that combined with the cherry reminds me of that mushroomy flavor of cherry wood chips. I get where what I interpreted as brown sugar and fresh cherry was interpreted by Distiller as banana and ripe apple. The flavor doesn't quite do it for me, but it's far from bad. This is in the Eagle Rare/Booker's Kitchen Table range. The flavor profile has some good notes with a solid balance, but it's not terribly complex and there's something that rubs me the wrong way a bit. Still. I like it well enough. I might even consider it I stead of Booker's if I thought Booker's had a poor release. It's gets a bit sweet at the end, but that helps to drown out the rye tartness and minerality. Really, it's quite good. It's in the 16 to 17 range.