Maker’s Mark BRT-02

The finishing series continue to prove to be an intriguing experience for the whisky nerd!

DISTILLERY	Maker’s Mark
REGION	Loretto, Kentucky
AGE	NAS
STRENGTH	54.7% ABV (109.4 Proof)
MASHBILL	70% corn, 16% soft red winter wheat and 14% malted barley
MSRP	$70

---

GLANCE

Clear with a medium intensity and golden amber hue

NOSE

Clean with a pronounced intensity. There are aromas of brown sugar, vanilla, dried cherries with pumpkin spice. As I continued to nose there was dark cocoa, and chocolate with oak. As it opened up there was notes of fresh raspberry and blueberries, orange peel with hibiscus. Hallmark wheated nose with extra oomph.

PALATE

Pronounced flavor intensity, medium sweetness with mouth-filling texture. On the palate I got notes of dark orange chocolate, bright citrus notes, and freshly stoned red fruits. Hints of all spice, nutmeg and hazelnut (reminded me of light nutella).

FINISH

Found the finish to be medium to long in length with some complexity. There were notes of raisins, hot cocoa with marshmallows, nutmeg and cinnamon.

CLOSING REMARKS

The Maker’s Mark finishing series has created quite a buzz amongst the whisky and bourbon aficionados. Maker’s Mark has become synonymous with utilizing different staves to achieve an unique flavor. For this round of the finishing series we move away from the staves being the prominent driver for flavor but towards temperature. “BR” refers to barrel rotation and the “T” refers to the temperature. With this release of finishing series two versions were released, BRT-01 & BRT-02. BRT-01 are barrels that are aged at the upper floors of the rick-house where the temperature is hotter. BRT-02 are barrels aged from the lower floors of the rick-house, where the temperatures are cooler. When I began to form my final conclusions of this Maker’s Mark, I had to stop myself initially because I could think of a couple places where this whisky fell short. If we are to think about it, this is not supposed to be a perfect whisky. In a way this is an educational tool to understand an important factor that plays a big part in producing whisky. Temperature! Is this a buy? Well are you a bourbon lover? Whisky nerd? Love learning? Well then its an easy yes. Cheers!