If you’ve had Ezra Brooks Black then…

Old Ezra is: much darker in the glass and shows much less grain on the nose. It is thicker in the mouth and hotter. It has more pronounced fruitiness, baking spice and oak and a longer and warmer finish.

Ezra B is: darker and richer in color. It is sweeter and fruitier on the nose with pear and maple showing instead of grain. The mouth is richer, sweeter and spicier with an oilier mouthfeel. The finish is longer, warmer and shows more mint and oak.

If you’ve had Old Ezra 7 year then…

Ezra Brooks Black Label is: lighter in color and more grain forward on the nose. It is thinner in the mouth with a more watery mouthfeel. By comparison, the mouth is delicate and grain forward. The finish is much shorter, more gentle, but also more bitter.

Ezra B is: sweeter and fruitier on the nose. It is also sweeter and fruitier on the mouth with a creamier mouthfeel. The finishes are similar in heat and length but Ezra B is showing more baking spice.

If you’ve had Ezra B 12 year then…

Ezra Brooks Black Label is: much lighter in color. The nose is more delicate and more grain forward. The mouth shows more grain and baking spice but is also more bitter. The finish is more gentle and much shorter.

Old Ezra is: more tannic on the nose showing more black tea. It shows more oak in the mouth and is less sweet. The finish is similar in heat and length but shows more oak tannins.

I've always envisioned this site as a place where people can come to learn. Learn a little history. Learn a little about what they like. Learn what they should check out (whether it is bourbon or not). And ultimately learn enough to make informed decisions about where they put their money.

I've been including tasting notes as a method of trying to give people my feelings on a particular whiskey for a while now. But while a tasting note can give you an impression of how I felt about something on a particular day and it can certainly tell you a lot about the types of things that I'm reminded of, they aren't always a great way to compare whiskeys one to another.

To that end, I'm starting a new series on the blog. Every once in a while if I find I have a bunch of whiskeys that follow a theme, I'll do a basic comparison. The set up is like this: "If you've had Whiskey A then Whiskey B is..." hotter, spicier, sweeter, more floral, etc. Each section is written as compared to one of the whiskeys. So if you've had that one, but not the others. That section will be of the most use to you. Remember there are no value judgements here. You get to decide based on what you know of Whiskey A if Whiskey B sounds like something you'd want to try.

First up is the Maker's Mark family. I happened to have the entire line on the shelf and a lot of people have had Maker's Mark so it was an easy place to start.

If you've had Maker's Mark then...

Maker's 46 is: sweeter, spicier and more flavorful with baking spices and a nice nuttiness.

Maker's Mark Cask Strength is: more bitter, hotter and spicier with more concentrated flavors including more traditional wheated bourbon flavors.

Maker's 46 Cask Strength is: sweeter with more pronounced baking spices and a hotter finish.

If you've had Maker's 46 then...

Maker's Mark is: lighter, more bitter and fruitier.

Maker's Mark Cask Strength is: hotter and not as sweet with more pronounced baking spices, an oilier mouthfeel and a much longer and warmer finish.

Maker's 46 Cask Strength is: similar with more concentrated flavors including more maple and stronger baking spices, an oilier mouthfeel and a longer finish.

If you've had Maker's Mark Cask Strength then...

Maker's Mark is: as you'd expect, a softer and more muted version of the same flavors. The lower proof makes it easier to find the cinnamon and nutmeg flavors.

Maker's 46 is: softer, sweeter and oakier with more pronounced caramel and vanilla flavors.

Maker's 46 Cask Strength is: sweeter and spicier with a nicer finish.

If you've had Maker's 46 Cask Strength then...

Maker's Mark is: softer with an almost watery mouthfeel. It has a more pronounced fruitiness and tastes almost chalky in comparison.

Maker's 46 is: less sweet and not as hot with more distinctive fruity flavors allowed to show through the lower proof.

Maker's Mark Cask Strength is: hotter and drier allowing more oak to present itself on the palate.

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