Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2021 FAE-01

I’ve come to love the Makers limited releases. This one is no exception The nose greets you with caramel, maple, oat and chocolate as well as some sour cherries and buttered popcorn. Yup, all familiar Makers territory. Reminds me a lot of RC6 in that it is so sweet and rich. The palate is hot and oily. It hits with a blast of makers jalapeño heat and then the dry, brown tobacco becomes immediately evident alongside cinnamon, cherries and chocolate, maple, banana pudding and raspberry. I’m a huge fan of this. The richness, the earthiness, the long finish. This is a rival to OWA 107 more so than CS 46 in my book and not as desert-like as RC6 but showcases earthy tobacco instead in a way that few other distillers can. Definite rebuy if I can! I’m between a 4 and 4.25 and will keep it a 4 unless time somehow improves it.

Ever since the first entry to the Wood Finishing releases (RC6) I have been a fan. These tend to always be the cream of the stave finishes (although you can find some extremely good private store picks out there). I'm not going to waste anymore time talking this one up since I am eager to dive in. Nose is subtly sweet. Let's call this Bananas Fosteresque with light hints of banana, cinnamon, vanilla, and a touch of brown sugar. There is a slight bit of ethanol here, but overall quite enticing. First sip is a little underwhelming to be quite honest. There is some brown sugar here and what is almost a burnt caramel on the edges. I am also getting a little more of a habanero burn on this pour. The biggest oddity here is the fairly short and unremarkable finish. That pepper heat comes on mid sip then just sort of flames out. There is a slight linger of caramel, but nothing really to write home about. Overall this would be a nice store pick, but does not hit the mark laid down by the first two releases. I immediately bought backups of the first two releases, but I won't be doing that with this one. I would rather have a pour of 46 Cask Strength over this one. A bit of a let down here, but based on previous track record it won't dissuade me from purchasing the next in line. Worth a one time pick up, bit not nearly on par with the earlier drams.

Nose is very smooth. Burnt brown sugar, tobacco and nuttiness. Very balanced. Initial taste has some oiliness but it doesn't last long. Very fruity with a caramel almost buttery taste of dried cherries. Smooth finish, hardly any heat. Well done.

MM Limited Edition FAE-01 NOSE: Great nose with Lots of Charred Dry Wood, Light Nuttiness, Inside of a Humidor, Heavy Burnt Sugar. BBQ Sauce? Honeysuckle/Floral Notes in the background. A substantial Sting from the 110proof. Raisins and Dried Cherries on the Empty Glass. NEAT: Like the Nose, Dry Charred Oak dominates. Once your Palate gets accustomed to the Heavy Oak, you get notes of Pipe Tobacco, Molasses, Raisins, and Dried Cherries. There are a lot of Tannins here, but they manage to stay on the Sweet (and not bitter) side while still giving you a Mouth Drying Tingle. Great Mouthfeel, Thick & Coating. Long Finish with a great Layering Musty Oak/Dark Fruit Coating that sticks around long after the pour is finished. SPLASH: Takes some of the Heat from the Nose. Notes of Cocoa, Mint, and Moist Chewing Tobacco emerge. The Palate becomes less drying and takes on the illusion of Carbonation. The Oak becomes more Musty and Less Drying in nature. Now I'm getting Prune Juice (which I hate in real-life, but like as a note in my whiskey) which reminds me of childhood weeks spent with my favorite set of Grandparents. I probably won't try it, but I'm sure this would be great with a large cube of ice. VERDICT: I didn't think I'd find this one locally, so I wasn't even looking. I was perusing the Bourbon aisle at my local and didn't see anything that piqued my interest, so on the way out I did what I always do...(don't laugh) take a swing by the Maker's Mark to see if there's a Slam Dunk. Sitting innocently camouflaged by the regular 46 was a row of this. Grabbed two and I'm glad I did. I really like it. Unique Nose and Palate. Great, Thick Body. Long Oaky Finish. With a Splash, this is up there for best MM I've had. If you see it for its MSRP of $60, I'd say get two.

Very intriguing.

Fruit, caramel