Maker’s Mark

Among bourbon’s featuring wheat, there are few as readily available and recognized as Maker’s Mark.  Made with soft red wheat, the intention of Maker’s is to be easy to drink without the bite of rye.    This recipe is rumored to have at one point in its history share roots with Pappy Van Winkle’s Old Fitzgerald recipe.  Factor in a couple of Beam boys and their yeast, and you have a recipe with more than a couple twists and turns.  Figure that distilleries have sold, distillers have been replaced, and that recipes have been tweaked for modern palates; and you basically have the wax on the bottle as the best guess as to what to think.

So let’s throw all the history and tater baiting out the window, and start with a much more basic question.  Is Maker’s Mark good bourbon?

Maker’s Mark

Sight:  Between deep copper and burnished.

Smell:  Chocolate, almonds, and cherries lead things off.  Cocoa powder and touch of spice join in.  Oak and a hint of ethanol finish things off.

Sip:  Smooth and mild to start, with a medium body, Maker’s Mark is invitingly easy.  Cherry, tobacco, oak lead, and  hints of chocolate, spice, red licorice, and a brown sugars come into give a layer of complexity.

Savor:  On the finish, oak leads and has touches of bing cherries with a slightly tannic nature and a bit of heat

Maker’s Mark is simple, well rounded, and built upon smooth, inviting flavors.   While the body and the flavor profile isn’t the most complex, the texture makes up for it, and the wheat influence and fruity character makes it enjoyable and reasonably priced.   As a result, it’s managed to find its way into most bars and is widely available.  As a sipper, it’s perfectly fine on ice, but nothing to make you write home.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan Maker’s Mark opens with maraschino cherries and touches of orange marmalade.    Notes of almond and pecan come in, and there’s a good amount of clove and spice.  Just prior to the finish, there’s a pop of dark brown sugar and caramelized stone fruit that then gets connected to an oaky finish.

In Review – Maker’s Mark

Maker’s Mark is a widely available wheated bourbon.  The flavors are clear, clean, and strong.  It provides good hints of nuts, spice, chocolate, and cherries, while not requiring a wait in line or bartering your left kidney.  It’s well made and enjoyable, as well as well rounded.  From this perspective, and around the mid $20 price point, there’s nothing here that’s not worth the time to experience.  Maker’s is a foundation whiskey with good reason, and reportedly can trace it’s origins to Weller-Stitzel.   We recommend you try it to see if you enjoy it, and potentially even keep it around your bar.