Spirits Archivist
Dec 2, 20202 min
Updated: Jan 22, 2021
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength - 19-01 - 54.4%
My introduction to Maker's Mark was in the early-2000s. Back then, I was surprised by the quality difference between pours like Maker's, Woodford, and the more ubiquitous 80 proofers like Jim Beam. It was the first time I started to pay attention to the correlation between proof and flavor. Next, I graduated to Wild Turkey 101. You can guess the rest. Albeit a short-lived moment, Maker's was an important early step toward getting me curious about spirits.
As bourbon boomed, Maker’s Mark had trouble pivoting to a new group of bourbon consumers (me included) that looked for higher age statements, higher proofs, single barrels, and limited editions. The first real move into those categories came in 2016 with the global rollout of Maker's Cask Strength. I've generally found the releases to be solid, but not terribly exciting. Time to give it another go.
Nose: Peanuts. Caramel. Cherry. Mint tea.
Flavor: Amped up version of the nose. Cherry. Cinnamon. Peanuts. Young oak. Eucalyptus.
Structure: Full and long. Handles the heat well. Rolling finish.
Alcohol Integration: A little tight/closed off at first. Takes a bit to open. Couple drops of water helps open the nose and adds depth on the palate.
Score: 5 (Acceptable) Not very exciting, but it performs well enough.
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A couple bucks cheaper and I like the last one I tried better than this.
Rating System
10 - Reevaluate The Budget
9 - Stash Two (If Able)
8 - Stash One (At The Right Price)
7 - Highly Recommend It To Strangers
6 - Solid - Above Average
5 - Acceptable For The Situation
4 - Not Vocally Complaining
3 - Anything Else To Drink?
2 - Nothing Nice To Say
1 - Drain Pour