Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky Review

Maker’s Mark
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky
90 Proof
MSRP: $23-27 Avg. Price
Review

Please enjoy our Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky (Whiskey) Review!

Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky is a Classic

Maker’s Mark is one of Kentucky’s classic bourbons. In addition, the brand and its founders, the Samuels, are largely responsible for bourbon’s resurgence in the 80s and 90s. So, let’s start with a (very) brief history review.

A Long History in Distilling

The Samuels family had a long history in distilling before Bill Sr. and Margie Samuels started Maker’s Mark. However, due to bad circumstances and bad luck, the original T.W. Samuels Distillery and brand were no longer in the Samuels family. Therefore, in 1953, when Bill Samuels, Sr. wanted to get back into distilling, he purchased Burks’ Distillery, which itself had quite the long history.

Time For A Better Bourbon

As the story goes, Bill Sr. was not at all a fan of his family’s bourbon and wanted to make something different; something softer, that he enjoyed drinking. He created his original mash bill by baking bread with the different recipe candidates, and eventually arrived upon using red winter wheat as his flavoring (secondary) grain. The majority of bourbons at the time, and still to this day, use rye, rather than wheat, as their secondary grain. Ultimately, Maker’s Mark bourbon’s mash bill would be: 70% corn, 16% wheat and 14% malted barley. That is the same mash bill still used today for all of Maker’s Mark’s different bourbons. In addition, this original 90 proof version of Maker’s Mark was the only whiskey produced by the distillery for the general public until Maker’s Mark 46 was introduced in 2010.

Barrel Rotation

Something else that makes Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky different from many of the other brands out there is that they rotate their barrels during aging. That does not mean that they physically spin the barrels around. Barrels stored on their sides always have their bungs pointing upwards, to prevent leakage, so spinning them would not be a great idea. Rather, rotating means that they change each barrel’s location in the warehouse during aging. Those that start on the lower floors are moved to the upper floors, and those on the upper floors are moved to the lower floors. Those on the middle floors stay on the middle floors.

The purpose of this barrel rotation is to attempt to keep the bourbon’s flavor as uniform as possible from barrel to barrel. Similarly, Maker’s Mark does not age their bourbon for a set amount of time. They age it “to taste” to maintain consistency. Therefore, the length of aging is generally in the neighborhood of 6 to 6 1/2 years.

While Bill Sr. was in charge of developing the bourbon, it was his wife, Margie, who was in charge of pretty much everything else. It was she who came up with the bottle and label design, the name for the brand and the iconic dripping red wax.

Tasting Notes – Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky Review

Let’s taste it:

🛌 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉Nose: Sweet apples & pears, light orange citrus, sweet caramel and light brown sugar; sweet cherries later on; relatively light alcohol vapor
👉Taste: Pears, light caramel & brown sugar; touch of cherries; relatively light bodied
👉Finish: Increasingly dry; some barrel char, tannins and black pepper spice; medium length

Maker’s Mark is a fairly light bodied and easy drinking bourbon. The nose leads off with sweet apples and pears, which are soon joined by sweet cherries. Light orange citrus adds a bit of a contrast to the sweeter flavors, but there are sweet caramel and light brown sugar, too. The taste brings pears, light caramel and brown sugar, with a touch of cherries. The finish becomes increasingly dry, with black pepper, tannins and some barrel char. It is fairly light and of medium length.

Summary – Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky Review

Well, there is no question that Bill Sr. succeeded in his quest. Maker’s Mark is an easy to drink bourbon with classic bourbon flavors, but also a bright softer side with noticeable fruit. Those flavors carry through the entire sip, although the finish becomes more dry, with a bit of black pepper spice, as well. It is not a particularly complex bourbon, but I don’t think it was really meant to be.

In Closing

Maker’s Mark is a fairly light fruit forward bourbon, with some sweeter flavors throughout, as well as a bit of spice and dryness later on. It is the kind of bourbon that is well suited to those new to bourbon, or who enjoy a bit of a lighter, lower proof pour. For bourbon drinkers wanting a bit more, Maker’s Mark 101, Cask Strength and Wood Finishing Series, may be more their cup of tea, so to speak. Have you had Maker’s Mark Bourbon? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

I hope you have enjoyed our Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky (Whiskey) Review! If you would like to learn more about the distillery, check out our Maker’s Mark Distillery Tour Review! Or, you can read some of their other bourbons in our Maker’s Mark 101, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength or our Maker’s Mark CommUNITY Batch Bourbon Reviews.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!