(#4) Fellow Distiller WhiskeyLonghorn recently posted his top 5 Whiskeys of 2020 and I thought it was such a great idea that I'm stealing it. To qualify, a whiskey did not need to be new, just new to me in 2020...so there will be some tried and true staples mixed in with the new releases on my list. I was able to narrow my list of 14 possibilities to 7 fairly quickly, but going from 7 to 5 proved a little tougher. Honorable Mentions will make an appearance after Whiskey #1. I won't bore you with a full re-review of each, but will give an overall impression. Should you want to read the full review, you shouldn't have to scroll too deeply in my tastes to find them. So...without further ado, I present my Number 4 Whiskey of 2020... Maker's Mark 101 Strangely, 2020's global Covid-19 pandemic was a slight boon for Bourbon lovers. Several international releases failed to move due to travel restrictions and retaliatory tariffs. This left distilleries like Buffalo Trace and Maker's Mark (among others) with large stocks of duty free and international only releases. Blanton's SFTB & Gold made their US debut along with the much easier to find Maker's Mark 101. Highlights of this one are an overall drier character, more substantial coating mouthfeel, and notes of Chocolate and Coffee that I don't find in their standard release. Here's hoping that this becomes a permanent line extension (or at least an annual release) as I found it to be the ideal proof to showcase this wheated classic.