MAKER’S MARK CASK STRENGTH SHOWDOWN Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength As I’ve noted elsewhere, I’m a big fan of what Maker’s Mark has done with their wood-finishing series, which all started with Maker’s 46. Maker’s 46 Cask Strength is a relatively new product, first offered nationally in 2020. Maker’s 46 is far better than the base Maker’s Mark offering; let’s see if that holds true with the cask strength of each. These two are just 0.1 apart in terms of proof points; the most significant difference is the additional wood staves that are used in the Maker’s 46. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Color is a clear and bourbon-like Pantone 152. There’s noticeable ethanol on the nose, which shows tangerine, sawdust, bananas foster, cocoa powder, rosin, a mild guava, and cinnamon. The alcohol comes through strongly on the palate as well, and shows lots of oak and vanilla, with more on the finish, along with a little woody tannic bitterness. There’s a lot of wood here. As I sip and wait, and then go back and forth between this and the 46CS, there is an oscillation between a nice complexity and a whole lotta wood. Maker’s philosophy has always been to bottle to taste rather than age: perhaps there’s a focus on normal MM that detracts from its cask-strength counterpart. There is so much to like, if only the wood was toned down a bit. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength retails for about $40. Would I buy it again? Yes. 3.75 on the Distiller scale. 110.4 proof. NAS. Batch no. 21-02. Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength Color is virtually identical to the regular MM Cask Strength at Pantone 152. Different nose; warmer, sweeter, and more mellow than the normal cask strength, with hot chocolate, coffee, caramel, dried apricot, a touch of dill, and vanilla, in addition to a whiff of char. While the alcohol is not as prevalent on the nose as it is with the MMCS—despite the nearly identical proof—it becomes noticeable on the finish, along with oak and gobs of vanilla. There’s a lot to like here, but like the normal MMCS, there’s a lot of wood to chop. Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength can be found for around $65, which is more expensive than Maker’s normal cask strength offering. Would I but it again? (Actually, this bottle was a gift). Yes. On a proof basis alone, the price represents good value in today’s market, and on top of that, it’s good—better than the normal cask strength offering. A little less wood would push this easily into the 4.0 range; I’d like to try other releases to see if that’s the case. 3.75 on the Distiller scale. 110.3 proof. NAS. Batch no. 23-01. There are many possible “showdown” combinations, with commonality found between producers, types, styles, and proofs. What I’d like to do now is try the regular 46 (I have an old-style bottle) side-by-side with this 46 Cask Strength. From memory, I like the regular 46 better; but I’ll have to test that hypothesis in another review. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.