Maker’s Mark is one of our favourite ‘mainstream’ bourbon whiskies.
Since we had a little remaining in a bottle after a particularly enthusiastic cocktail night, why not write up some tasting notes.
There are a number of interesting facts around the history of Maker’s and the distillery which is a designated National Landmark, but the feature I like most is the distinctive wax seal.
Bottles are still dipped by hand at the distillery and the ‘dripping wax’ is actually a protected trademark of the brand.
The whiskey itself is aged for around 6 years and they use small batches (less than 19 barrels) to produce each bottling. The ‘standard’ expression is bottled at 45% alcohol.
Our notes are below.
Nose
The first smell is slightly caramelised sugar, like honeycomb / puff candy.
As it opens up, some wheat sweetness and vanilla appears.
Light citrus fruit emerges after time and just a touch of red fruit sweetness – just hints in the background.
Palate
Fuller in the palate than the nose would suggest – green rye flavours are the initial taste, slightly peppery with a walnut oil texture.
Vanilla sweetness is there as the rye subsides, like sweet porridge and a light butterscotch also appears.
Finish
Nutty oil texture and grain sweetness. Peppery bitter citrus peel right at the end, which coats the mouth and contributes to the medium finish.
Overall
The nose of Maker’s Mark is lovely, sweet and balanced. The flavour is a little more robust, but never raw or unpleasant.
It’s a very, very good whiskey whether straight, on ice or mixed.
Recommended.
Braw Spirit 