Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength

The Maker’s Mark No. 46 Cask Strength is a Limited Release which, in my opinion, benefits from both the No. 46 stave profile as well as the higher octane proof point.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the traditional Maker’s as well, but I have found myself gravitating towards the No. 46’s more often.

Maker’s is an iconic brand in the bourbon world.  What makes it a bit different than most bourbons out there is that it is a “wheater”, which just means that it uses wheat as its third grain in mash bill (red winter wheat to be specific).  The wheaters have risen in popularity due to the Pappy’s and Weller releases from Buffalo Trace, and you are seeing more distilleries adding a wheater to their lineups given the consumer interest.  So why does wheat vs. rye as the third grain matter?  Rye has a spiciness to it and usually adds some boldness to the spirit.  Wheat, on the other hand, tends to be a bit softer in the flavor profile and can provide a smoother, easier sipper.

Of course, there are a ton of factors that go into a bourbon’s flavor and whether something is smooth or not or good or not.  Everything from the other ingredients…the fermentation process…the distilling process…the aging process…the climate where it was aged….the type of barrel used.  You get the point.  

This brings me to my next tidbit about this release.  What is the “No. 46 Stave Profile”?  Traditional Maker’s ages in new charred oak barrels like every other bourbon is required to be by law.  But Maker’s does something a bit differently with its No. 46 releases, they add 10 seared French Oak staves into the American Oak barrels to impart some added flavor to the bourbon.  French Oak–unlike its American Oak cousins which is known for its sweet vanilla, coconut and baking spice flavors–is said to impart more savory spices and chocolate notes.

Ok, that’s a lot of my blabbering, let’s start tasting.

ABV: 54.8%

How it smells….oak up front, some floral scents, wood stain, vanilla & cherries….with a dab of water there’s a bit more vanilla, honey, the general floral scent becomes more honeysuckle, the oak becomes more muted and the woodstain whiff goes away.

How it tastes….starts off cherry followed by cinnamon, ending in oakiness.  The finish is vanilla and more baking spice and some chocolate maltiness, but overall not too hot for a near-110 proof sip…..adding some water and you get more spices up front, vanilla in the middle and cherry coke at the end.  The finish is rich with baking spices.

Price..$60

Rating….🥃🥃🥃🥃

Final thoughts….I really liked this rendition of the No. 46.  As much as I enjoy a Maker’s Mark, the No. 46 version, with the addition of the French Oak staves, gives it a bit more pep.  While I like wheaters I tend to drink more bourbons that utilize rye in their mash bill as I appreciate those bold notes.  I feel like the 46 gives you the silky smoothness of the wheater with just a bit more complexity.

I was surprised to see how adding water affected this one.  Using my pipette I added a few drops, probably bringing it down to 95-100 proof.  Prior, the sip was a bit more distinctive between stages and a lot less spicy.  With water, you get a lot more of the spiciness both at the front and at the end with some nice sweetness in the middle.  Plus some of that oak gets muted so it acts more in a supporting role to the other flavors rather than being the lead.  I would have expected the inverse to occur so this was a nice surprise.  I even went back and had another dram without water to confirm the difference, and it held up.

One final note about Maker’s Mark, it’s a great place to visit.  It’s on a very secluded and beautiful campus, a great mix of modern distillery and old timey village.  The tour is great as you get to see a lot of the old equipment and how they used to make the whiskey way back when in addition to the modern distillery as well.  The tasting experience is great as well, you get to try a bunch of different Maker’s styles, using all sorts of stave profiles.  Then you get to buy one!  I would highly recommend it if you head down to Kentucky.

For $60, getting a cask strength nice sipper is certainly a 4x 🥃.  If I can get my hands on another one of these, I certainly will be grabbing it to keep in reserve.