A few months ago, just before COVID shut us all down, I was out furniture shopping. While I was out, I decided to stop by a liquor store that I usually don’t frequent. Just to see what they had. You never know when you are going to stumble onto something that might make a good blog post.
As I walked in, I saw that they had a complete set of the Rhetoric Bourbon Collection sitting right where their tasting bar used to be. Not being in the mood to drop $2600 on bourbon, I kept walking. But I was interested enough that I decided to see what else might be lurking on the bourbon shelves. Obviously I was looking for something that was a bit closer to a freelance designer’s price range. I wasn’t disappointed when I got to the bourbon section. Right there on the top shelf, sitting sideways so as not to take up too many facings was a Maker’s Mark collection from last year (the copyright is 2019, that’s the extent of my knowledge about this).
Now, I’m a fan of Maker’s Mark from way back. The delightful redhead was one of my first bourbon loves and really is still one of the only wheated bourbons that I like as much as bourbons that use rye. So when I saw this collection that has cask-strength versions of Maker’s, Maker’s 46, and a Maker’s Private Select, I thought that was pretty neat and decided to bring it home with me. I then stuck it into the closet and forgot about it.
I remembered it the other day when I read that this year’s limited edition bourbon was going to be Maker’s 46 Cask Strength. Now I’ve had Maker’s 46 Cask Strength before. But I’ve always had to go to Kentucky to get it. I picked up two bottles back in 2015 when they first started selling it at the distillery. I’ve also picked up a couple of Maker’s Private Select from the gift shop that only used the Maker’s 46 staves. So…essentially Maker’s 46 Cask Strength. And I like it enough that if I see that limited edition out there somewhere (I never did see last year’s) that I will probably pick that up as well.
So since it is somewhat topical, I decided to pull this collection back out of the closet and give it a look. One thing I didn’t notice when I bought it was that they have Cask Strength versions of the core product that each of the Samuels’ family developed during their time in charge. Maker’s Mark from Bill Sr. Maker’s 46 from Bill Jr. And Private Select from Rob. This particular one using a finishing stave combination that has his name on it. Like I said previously, pretty neat.
Because I’ve previously reviewed both Maker’s Cask Strength and Maker’s 46 Cask Strength, I’m only going to go over the tasting notes for the Rob Samuel’s Private Select. This is getting long enough as it is.
Maker's Mark Private Select: Rob Samuels (from Maker's Mark "Generations of Proof" Gift Set)
Purchase Info: $84.99 for the gift set (three 375ml bottle) from Lakeville Liquors, Lakeville, MN
Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.78
Details: 55.1% ABV. Staves used: Two Seared French Cuvee, four Roasted French Mocha, four Toasted French Spice.
Nose: Strong butterscotch notes followed by cinnamon and nutmeg with fleeting hints of mint.
Mouth: Warm and sweet. More butterscotch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Oak, ginger, and almond follow.
Finish: Warm and medium length. Lingering notes of Toffee, cocoa powder, oak, almond
Thoughts: This is terrific. I really like it. I may need to keep an eye out and see if there any more of these sitting on the shelf in the area.
So how does Rob's selection compare to those of his father and Grandfather?
Comparison with Maker's 46 cask Strength: Rob Samuel's is much sweeter on the nose. It's also much sweeter on the mouth. the Maker's 46 has a nicer mouthfeel and features the oak and spice more prominently.
Comparison with Maker's Mark Cask Strength: The nose on these are similar. Rob Samuel's shows more prominent "Christmas notes" of cinnamon and nutmeg. Maker's Cask Strength is the more assertive of the two even at a lower proof. It isn't nearly as sweet as the other two but is much spicier.
If we were forced to choose our favorite, I'd say the Maker's Cask Strength is mine while my wife chooses Maker's 46 cask strength. All three are very good though and I am going to enjoy every drop in all three of these bottles.
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