American Whiskey Review #34: Maker’s Mark RC6

Distillery: Marker’s Mark

Price: Thanks to /u/I_SAID_NO_GOLDFISH for letting me try this one!

ABV: 53.1%

Age: NAS

Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat.

Nose: (according to the wife) Fresh vanilla bean comes across first followed by a bit of new wood. There’s a lovely note that smells like warm soboro bread. White chocolate shavings and a decent helping of brown sugar round this one up.

Palate: It starts off soft and sweet before getting gradually spicier. The first note is of an icing that’s melted into dense cake (first thought was pound cake) along with some honey. Mixed baking spices come out after in the form of nutmeg and allspice. There’s a burnt sugar note towards the end. With water, a sharp fruity note joins in with the icing and cake. It’s almost like it’s a limoncello pound cake or bundt cake.

Finish: Medium in length. There’s very boozy raisins followed by a bit of ethanol bitterness. Finish is fairly drying from fresh oak. With a bit of water, limoncello comes out here as well.

Conclusion: I haven’t had a lot of Maker’s Mark but it’s a favorite of one of my good friend and coworker’s husband (she’s often told me we need to come over and just try his entire lineup of Maker’s Mark). I have to say, I definitely enjoyed this. It starts off with a really delightful nose, the vanilla marries so well with the soboro bread, white chocolate, and brown sugar. The limoncello pound cake in the palate is fantastic and the transition from sweet to spicy really elevates this dram. The ethanol bitterness in the finish is teetering on the edge of being unpleasant, but after a few drops of water it becomes well masked by the limoncello note that comes out. Would I buy a bottle? Yes.

Final Score: 82.

American Whiskey Review #34, Bourbon Review #28, Whisky Network Review #237

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.