On the nose it has typical aromas of sweet caramel and vanilla with the additional of that spicy French oak and a hint of smoky barrel char. When I breath deep, I can pick out that sweet corn and yeasty white bread aroma. - To the palate it is sweet and spicy with a building warmth throughout the development. Starts with rich caramel and sweet vanilla, then transitions to cinnamon and black pepper as the intensity of oak flavours increases. Very dense in the palate and with added complexity over the standard Maker’s Mark. - The finish is predominantly oak, both the caramel vanilla of American oak and the pepper spice I get from French oak, with lingering smoky barrel char and toasted wood notes throughout. Semi-dry, but not bitter, with a nice tingle of alcoholic warmth in the end. — With the addition of a few drops of water, a sweet cherry candy or maybe cherry cola note appears both on the nose and palate that is well complimented by the rich wood notes. —//— Bourbon Mark: 89 —//— I really like the additional wood flavours brought out by the French Oak. The wood spice combined with a higher ABV definitely make this one stand out for me.