Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2025 The Keepers Release

Color: Medium Copper-Amber Nose: Sweet Oak, Leather, Molasses, Caramel. (Nice nose!) Palate: (Drank with a large ice ball) Very Maker's! Initially, "spice" comes at you... followed by the inevitable tongue tingle. Definitely getting the oak staves. So far, very oaky and spicy. Not much burn at all. Going in for a second pour... I need to identify more than just, "spicy" and "oak"(!)... Nope! Nothing new. "Spice" and "oak". Darn! Finish: Medium with the tingle, oak, and spiciness lingering the most. Final Thoughts: I wanted to have my socks knocked off... I wanted to report that this is "special". But what I am getting is a decent Maker's Mark release. If you like Maker's Mark, in general, you will like this — you might even love it. But I wanted more to jump out at me, and nothing did — at least not with these first two pours. Looking back, it appears that I was more impressed by the "Heart" release. I may need to grab another of those and do a blind. It's really the only way to know for sure. 3.75 stars with the possibility of an upgrade, depending on future pours.

Nose is popping with pipe tobacco, black cherry, caramel ice cream topping, cinnamon sugar, allspice, baked goods, white grape, a hint of rickhouse funk, and delicate oak. Ethanol is literally non-existent. Some chocolate comes out as it warms, What a huff! Palate is rich and decadent with bananas foster, caramel flan, milk chocolate, toasted oak, barrel char, burnt sugar, orange, coffee, and molasses. Flavors while mostly sweet, are still quite balanced. Drinks under it’s proof. Finish brings some balancing spice with white pepper, cinnamon, burnt marshmallow, and ton of sweet oak yet somehow it’s not too much. Mouthfeel is slick and oily, coating the tongue throughly with no abrasiveness. Slightly shorter than I would like. This is exceptional. My favorite Makers product to date (ok not exactly true as I had Cellar Aged at a bar once where I couldn’t exactly review it and it was better, but this is really close!) A quite “dark” bourbon while The Hearts Release for example was much brighter. At $79.99 it’s absolutely a steal. Shhh! Tell no one and grab a bottle and hoard it for yourself.

Thick, viscous legs. Nose holds true to Makers, very fruity with added cinnamon, cardamom and allspice. The palate brings the oak forward strongly. Honestly, not a lot of depth. Finishes bitter. I dont pick up the profiles usually present with toasted oak. First impression is 2024 was clearly superior. Ice lets the fruit and sweetness come forward. Overall, shallow and disappointing. Hopefully this bottle will improve with a little time.