As Bourbon makers continue to explore the frontiers of what is possible, one such area of exploration that has caught much attention and excitement is the lengths to which a Bourbon can age, and still taste great.

It's not secret of course that Kentucky, USA is not only humid but also incredibly hot through the summers. On the one hand that creates for great depth and intensity in its whiskies, but on the other burns the proverbial candle that much faster on how much a whisky can age before it drops off.

Whilst numerous distilleries continue to try their hand at what is now called hyper-ageing, Maker's Mark has set its strategy to doing so through the use of a unique limestone cellar. To do so, Maker's Mark takes on a two-stage ageing process - the first phase being the standard ageing process in a traditional rickhouse, with the second phase seeing the barrels of Bourbon go into a cool limestone cellar which is designed to slow the oak's influence and allow its Bourbons to reach an inaugural 11 and 12 years old in the debut Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2023 Release, with an additional year added for each subsequent annual release. The Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2025 Release is thus the combination of 11, 13 and 14 year Old Bourbons.

And now a fourth in the series has appeared - the Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2026 Release.

The 2026 Release will thus be a 112.9 Proof (56.45% ABV) blend of:

74% whisky aged 11 years,

10% whisky aged 13 years,

16% whisky aged 14 years.

Now if you're eagle eyed, you'd have noticed that the 2026 Release mirrors exactly that of the 2025 Release - now is that really the case?

We'll keep a look out to find out.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team