Details
- Price: $55
- Proof: 110.7 (55.35% ABV)
- Type: Bourbon
- Age: No Age Statement
- Distillery: Maker’s Mark Distillery
- Visit the distillery page at Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Review
Nose: The nose brings intensity from the 110 proof distilling, but you don’t smell a complexity of aromas, which makes the taste difficult to predict. The smell is strong, but not overbearing.
Palate: The initial flavors are subtle before an intense bold palate takes over. There is medium heat with bold flavors, but it lacks the complexity of similar cask strength bottles (see Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof). This is a solid whiskey with good flavors from the wheated mash bill, which is widely popular from the Maker’s Mark distillery. This is essentially 22% better than the flagship Maker’s Mark bottle (the proof is 22% higher, go figure 😃). Fans of the distillery with a bolder palate will appreciate this whiskey, along with anyone seeking a cask strength bottle.
Finish: The finish has moderate heat and decent whiskey flavors. It separates itself from lower proof bottles, but there are opportunities for improvement. The flavors are not powerful, which will receive varying opinions. This is a good drink, but a step below great. We still recommend it for a larger collection.
Rating
Overall Score: 7.0 (score reflects taste and price)
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is a good whiskey, which implements barrel proof distilling to create a bolder palate than its flagship bourbon. The end product is distilled between 108-114 proof, depending on the batch. The higher proof of the bottle offers bolder flavors, but it lacks complexity, which slightly detracts from the experience. Wheated mash bills shine in cask strength offerings, but they are good, not exceptional here. With that said, this bourbon is still favorable compared to most lower proof offerings and a recommended purchase.
Degenerate Discussion
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength reminds me of vacation once you’re over 30. You have lofty expectations every time and you realize you set the bar too high. Once you’re over 30, the dream vacation is taking days off from work, getting drunk with friends, and sleeping in your own bed. Vacations where you travel are fun and memorable, but they’re such a fucking hassle. Maker’s Mark is a great distillery and has a good flagship bourbon, which sets this whiskey up for tough scrutiny and high expectations. It’s a good tasting whiskey, but you expect great. A similar experience is when it’s your lucky day and you find a hot partner, close the deal and have sex (we speak from story rather than experience on this one based on us never being lucky). When a friend asks about the experience, you have to confess they kind of just laid there, which makes sense because they’re hot and everyone caters to them. This is the problem with high expectations; they rarely come through. With that said, we still recommend this bottle for larger collections. If you’re grabbing one, cheers Degenerates.
Listings
You can find Maker’s Mark Cask Strength on the following Degenerate listings:
- Top Barrel Proof Whiskeys