Up next for our drinking pleasure, and hopefully help you to decide what to buy, is one of the world’s bestselling Bourbons, Makers Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky. We are not sure why they spell whisky without the e, as in whiskey. From Grammarly “If you’re talking about a drink that’s been made in Scotland, Canada, or Japan, use the spelling without the e—whisky. When referring to drinks distilled in the United States or Ireland, use the e—whiskey.” It says on the bottle that it is made in Kentucky, so it should be whiskey, maybe the original guy, Bill Samuels Sr was from Canada or Scotland? We were not that interested in the answer to do a deep dive to find out. Makers’ Mark is a wheated Bourbon, meaning wheat, not rye is the secondary grain.
Maker’s Mark Bourbon is 95 proof, sells for around $25, is widely available anywhere spirits are sold, and comes in the iconic shaped corked bottle with the wax top. While it doesn’t state the mash bill on the bottle, with a little digging we found it to be 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. As far as the age, it can be kind of confusing, this from their website “We age our bourbon to taste, not time.” Also, “Barrels spend a minimum of three hot Kentucky summers in the top of the rackhouse.” But also from their website ” It usually takes between six to seven years for the whisky to be ready.” So we are not really sure what to think about this stuff in regard to age. We guess 3-7 years?
It has been a while since either of us has had a drink of the regular Maker’s Mark Bourbon. We know we need to do a better job of rating some of the mainstay, popular Bourbons. And this stuff is insanely popular. One little side note or complaint, the bottle states “It is made in small quantities, a little at a time.” We don’t see how you are the fourth or fifth bestselling Bourbon the world over and be made that way. This also goes for the statement on the website that says each bottle is hand dipped. Maybe we are missing something, but it seems highly unlikely that millions of bottles a year are hand-dipped, but who knows, maybe so.
As a rule, we are big fans of wheated Bourbons, but as a rule, we are also big fans of traditional Bourbons, ryes, wheat whiskeys, gins tequilas and, well you get the point.
NOSE
Todd: A little orange, a little cedar, and some sweetness, not much else. Maybe a slight bread aroma. Not impressed.
Matt: Caramel, orange zest, and some type of chemical scent. Ice brings more orange and dampens the chemical smell.
TASTE
Todd: Not a ton of stuff going on, some cedar, some mustiness, a little orange, and maybe some vanilla. Not too hot and has an almost light texture to it. Ice didn’t add anything.
Matt: Vanilla up front with some butterscotch and cherries behind. Not very complex and ice made it even less so.
FINISH
Todd: Medium without much else.
Matt: Medium-short, meh.
OVERALL
Todd: Probably not for me. Best used as a mixer.
Matt: Maker’s Mark makes some good Bourbons; this isn’t one of them.
Nose 3 out of 5
Taste 6.5 out of 10
Finish 2.5 out of 5
Total score 12 out of 20 barrels.
Well, we were a little rough on one of the world’s bestselling Bourbons, maybe we should not review the mass-produced mainstay products, going to make some enemies. It just didn’t have enough complexity on the nose or the taste to think that either one of us would saddle up to the bar and order a glass neat or on the rocks. Having said that, it is a fairly cheap mixer.
In the end, we both try and keep a bottle around, and we think you should too. Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky is perfect for friends who like it and ask for it. After all, it won’t cost you much.