Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2022 BRT-02

Nose: Vanilla and caramel bomb with hints of ethanol and oak. The ethanol wanes after a couple minutes as the vanilla, caramel (Werthers hard candy), and oak grow ever stronger. With more time apricots dominate the foreground along with a bouquet of other dried fruits. Palate: Oak, cinnamon, caramel and vanilla explode on the palate. Much more spice and oak than the nose gave off. Finish: The finish is long and turns somewhat dry and bitter. I like it, especially at its MSRP, but I’m not blown away. Definitely better than MM’s normal offering but I’m glad I didn’t have to try very hard to snag a bottle. Edit 08/21/2023: I just recently came back to this bottle and have to up my score from 3.5 to 4.0. Upon returning I was met with one of the most pleasant aromas of burnt caramel I’ve ever experienced. Notes on the palate mirror this alluring smell. The notes described above are all still present, but theres now this very dominant burnt caramel that I have fallen in love with. If you’re like me and was underwhelmed at first, let your bottle sit for a month and come back to it - you won’t be sorry.

Tried neat thanks to @Looneyhead for sharing. On the nares its very fruit foward woth notes of cherries, apricot, vanilla, caramel. On the palate its warm and cozy with notes of oak, dates, figs, apricot.