Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2020 SE4 x PR5

Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2020 SE4 x PR5. Man, Maker's Mark really needs to come up with some sexier names. There's got to be a happy-medium between that and what Highland Park is doing. At any rate, I enjoyed the 2019 RC6, and I'm hoping this can deliver an equivalent if not better experience. Nose: Cherry and baked apple (apple pie.) Caramel, nougat, and brown sugar. Cinnamon Teddy Grahams. Black tea leaves. Orange peel and ginger. Vanilla and toffee. Heaps of cinnamon, black pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Plenty of oak. Very strong start with this nose. Palate: Apple, vanilla, and chewy caramel. Toffee and pecan--the latter is a new note for Maker's, or maybe one I've just never noticed. Cola--and to be precise it's Cherry Vanilla Coke. A ton of brown sugar. Cinnamon, allspice, clove, and nutmeg provide some nice warmth on the mid-palate. And of course, oak. Very nice. Finish: Vanilla, caramel, and roasted nut. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove nutmeg, allspice, and oak spices carry this to what makes a for a log finish. Fantastic. This is a 4.25 boosted to a 4.75 when factoring in VFM. Booker's has almost doubled in price, as has ECBP. This ran me a mere $55. And what I got was nothing short of superb. In the context of the Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series, this is a winner. It crushes the 2019 iteration, which I liked to begin with. At 55.4%, this is a heavy-hitter. And when you consider the cost of similarly-proofed bourbons, they're generally significantly more expensive. My review comes late, but if you can still find this, it's an absolute no-brainer. Remarkable stuff from Maker's Mark--and now I need to buy the 2021 edition.

Very strong finish. Not the best but very good. Indeed, a wood flavor.

Nose: apples, oak, candy corn Palate: more oak, vanilla, fruits Finish: sweet syrup, corn, tannins Good but not worth the difference in price from maker’s 46 (although it is more complex)

Nose: starts out with herbal notes but then the vanilla bomb hits and it’s beautiful Palate: not a lot going on, but what’s there is pleasant... vanilla mostly and a hint of sweet caramel Finish: quite smooth for a 110+ proof offering - short but enjoyable finish Solid pour... would recommend and look forward to trying the other Wood Finishing offerings