His & Her Reviews: her review of Makers Mark Cask Strength Batch 21-01

The Lovely Assistant asked for something sweeter one night recently, and this is what I poured. Her review follows:

I’m a fan of the Makers Mark Private Selection I’ve had so far, but I can’t recall the last time (maybe ever?) I had a non-stave finished Makers. And I certainly haven’t ever before tried the standard Makers Cask Strength bottling.

Nose: A boatload of caramel. All the caramel, even. It’s eventually joined by a soft baking spice — think mulling spices and vanilla, not sharp or fiery cinnamon. Highland and Speyside whiskies are my old benchmark for sweeter drams, but this a radically different take on sweetness from the honeyed fruit commonly utilized by Highland scotches.

Palate: A strong duo of caramel supported by brown sugar emerges first, with the brown sugar giving way to a crisp cinnamon sugar that provides a needed and decisive contrast from the tsunami of caramel. Again, it’s radically different from Highland/Speyside single malt, but their basic layout of sweet flavors layered on top of each other with a bit of heat or spice to leaven it is here.

Finish: Quite respectably long, although it doesn’t quite have the duration or evolution of the Private Selection bottles I’ve tried. A friendly and spreading warmth comes first, followed by cinnamon sticks and salted caramel.

Summary: I asked for a sweet pour, I got a very solid sweet pour. There’s a classically straightforward approach here — Makers Cask Strength isn’t looking to be iconoclastic or take you by surprise. This is just a rock solid bourbon that really satisfied the craving I was having, which isn’t that the definition of good whisky? While I’d recommend staying with the beefier Private Selection bottles if you like more mystery or complexity, this is still remarkably constructed and a wonderful balance point between friendly and bold. This is an ideal Thursday night pour, if you understand me.

And as an aside, I might be a Makers Mark fan? This is 2-for-2 now of bottles I’ve enjoyed. So while I won’t be trading in my Single Malt aficionado credentials any time soon, I’m liking what Makers gives me.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

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