Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2022 BRT-02

Toasty and oaky nose, bell pepper, figs, baking spices, caramel, vanilla, nuts, grapes and cherry. Smooth on the palate; leather, toasted oak, vanilla, baking spices, cinnamon and cherry. Leathery toasty finish. Quite nice.

Least favorite of this series to date. Mediocre for me.

Great Nose - Sweet, dark chocolate, some butterscotch notes and dark fruits. The nose transfers over to the palate. Definitely drinks it proof and has a long finish, but still smooth and sweet. This is a good pour. I enjoyed this neat in a glencarin glass.

Candied cherry, chocolate and baking spices, ground cinnamon.

A new Maker's Mark wood finishing series release is always cause for celebration. But two, for 2022? It's a downright party. Unfortunately for me, getting my grubby hands on rarer bottles such as BRT 01 and BRT 02 is always a bit of a chore. Simply put: all the hipsters around me like to buy bourbon which makes hard to find bourbon all the harder to find. Thank God for retailers who ship. The nose smells dark and sweet. Pitted cherries and figs mingle with molasses and a bit of butterscotch. On the taste, a little touch of salted caramel opens up to slightly bitter, semi sweet dark chocolate. The mouth feel and warmth reflect the proof quite strongly. Over ripened but slightly sour cherries bridge the gap between taste and finish. The finish begins with baking spices which is complimented by the tongue prickling heat of the proof. That spiciness is long and lingering, but eventually makes way to a slightly sour and fruity end, again tasting of dark pitted fruits. RC6 set a precedent in 2019 that still has yet to be matched by its Wood Finishing offspring ( FAE01 came close ). My rating is in an attempt to be impartial, rating this selection on its own without influence from how great previous Wood Finishing bottlings were. In that aspect this one is solid and complex if not a little dark and bitter. And now... I shall patiently wait for my bottle of BRT 01 to arrive.

Peppercorn and lite spice. Nice long tingly finish, dances on the tongue.