Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2021 FAE-01

So good. My only complaint is I think a lot of wheated bourbons are lacking body. I get caramel and apple on the nose. Lighter body than I’d like, good flavor. Short finish, lingering sweetness like the nose.

Too much oak for me

That absolutely lives up to the hype. Sweet, woody, and lots of toasted caramel. Love it.

Wow! Very pleasantly surprised at how good this release is at 110.6 proof! Tasting in a glencairn glass and doing a side by side comparison with two other high proof bourbons this holds up quite well. I may prefer Elijah Craig barrel proof slightly better but this holds its own quite well. Spicier and more lingering finish will be a huge hit with whiskey drinkers who love that profile.

The 2019 and 2020 Maker’s Mark limited edition releases were solid; especially the latter. Here’s to hoping that MM could maintain that upward trajectory with this 55.15% beast. Let’s check out the 2021 incarnate. Nose: Cherry, vanilla, brown sugar, and caramel. Toffee and some coffee bean. Mocha and maple.Graham cracker, vanilla frosting, and toffee. Cinnamon red hots and some ethanol. Ginger spice. Oak. Palate: Caramel and vanilla. Cherry and milk chocolate. Mocha and maple. Toffee and coffee bean. Dried apricot. Blackberry. Leather. Banana. Ripe and unripe. Graham cracker. Gala apple, cranberry, and raisin. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Cherry, dried apricot, gala apple, cranberry, and raisin. Caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, graham cracker, toffee, and banana. Cinnamon (the spice and red hots), black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Long as they ‘em. It’s a winner. It takes the profile of the 2019 and melds it with the quality and power of the 2020. Overall, it’s on par with the latter in terms of score. Slight edge to the 2020. Speaking of which, this clocks in at 4.5/5. At $70, this is well worth the price of entry. Well done, MM.