Since the creation of Maker’s Mark 46®, we’ve amassed over 10 years of innovation and experimentation with Maker’s Mark® Private Selection and our limited releases. All that has led to our latest 2021 Limited Releases. Continuing to explore unique aspects of the original Maker’s Mark® taste profile, this year’s expressions were created around our signature bourbon’s flavors as well as its texture.
The Wood Finishing Series embodies our pioneering spirit and our obsession with taste. In our experimentation with the Independent Stave Company, we were able to highlight certain flavor characteristics from original Maker's Mark® and create unique expressions – each with its own taste profile.
Inspired by the creation of Maker's Mark 46™, the Wood Finishing Series process begins with 10 wood staves of varying types and combinations being affixed inside a barrel of fully matured Maker's Mark at cask strength. The barrel is then stored in our limestone cellar for additional aging as the variations in wood enhance distinct flavors in each expression.
Bill Samuels, Jr., wanted a bourbon that amplified the flavors he loved in Maker's Mark. So, he created it – with the first-ever bourbon in our Wood Finishing Series, Maker's Mark 46. Finished with seared French oak staves and aged longer, Maker's Mark 46 features a distinctly bolder, more complex flavor without the harsh bite of typically longer-aged bourbon.
Like all bourbons in our Wood Finishing Series, the flavor of Maker’s Mark Private Selection is determined by the custom wood staves added during the finishing process. For Private Selection, however, those finishing staves are chosen by participants in our Private Selection Barrel Program to specifically create a distinct flavor profile – with each unique expression offering its own customized finish and flavor.
For this 2021 Limited Release, we found a way to double down on the flavors extracted by a single stave. By only searing one side, we were able to keep the rich fruitiness in the bourbon while bringing out hints of tobacco and a dank woodiness that, with every sip, almost makes you believe you’re walking through our barrel warehouse.
For this exclusive 2020 Limited Release from the Maker’s Mark® Wood Finishing Series, we’ve created an utterly unique bourbon that’s also a worthy tribute to the one-of-a-kind vanilla and caramel taste notes that make the original Maker’s Mark so distinctive. Enjoy it while you can.
2019 marked the first limited release from The Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series. Crafted over the course of more than two years in partnership with Independent Stave Company, this limited release highlights the fruit notes of Maker's Mark without compromising its natural balance of baking spice and sweetness.
