Maker’s Mark 2020 Limited Release SE4 x PR5

• DISTILLERY – Maker’s Mark
• REGION – (Star Hill Farm) Loretto, Kentucky USA
• AGE – NAS (Around 6 years)
• STRENGTH – 55.4% (110.8 Proof)
• MASH BILL – 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
• MSRP – $60-70

---

GLANCE

Has a nice deep mahogany look, with medium viscosity and medium size legs

NOSE

I got a deep rich vanilla, with caramel drizzled vanilla ice cream. Then I got notes of a oak with nutmeg spices and baking spices

TASTE

Here the mouthfeel is very smooth, oily and creamy. There is a sweet, very rich caramel towards the end of the palate. In the beginning you get the baking spices and jamey fruit notes.

FINISH

The finish is medium too long with a lot of baking spices and caramel

CLOSING REMARKS

I must say compared to the 2019 release, the 2020 release is really jellying with me. With Maker’s Mark, there are people that love it and hate it, but you also have people who are lovers of the 46 and not much else from Maker’s Mark. Personally, I enjoy the experimentation and the different expressions offered by Maker’s Mark. Here is what the SE4 x PR5 dictates, according to the Maker’s Mark website.

While our 2019 Limited Release was the result of a single stave profile (RC6), it took two stave profiles (SE4xPR5) – developed in partnership with Independent Stave Company and ultimately utilized together – to achieve the perfect balance of vanilla and caramel in our 2020 Release.

This marriage of two different stave profiles with varying finishing times and total of 10 staves, makes this a unique product. Maker’s Mark 46 was a homerun and experimenting with different staves, is a great way to build on their mainstay. One of the really cool things is that, it is distinctly different from last year’s release (RC6). RC6 was sweet with fruit, jammy and citrus notes with a dry mouthfeel and finish. SE4 x PR5 was more creamy, sweet with more baking spices at play. For $60 you are getting a lot of complex flavors and nice notes to pull from. Its a great sipper, nothing offending and really balanced. Loved exploring this one and looking forward to 2021 FAE-01 release, cheers! 🙂