I’d like to thank the PR folks at Maker’s Mark for providing a review sample to me with no strings attached. In the meantime, I found this at retail. Tasting notes are taken from the retail purchase.
I’m not going to lie to you. As I am trying to write this, I have one eye on CNN awaiting word on a very important verdict. As such, I am quite distracted and am having a hard time writing anything coherent. So because of that, I am going to do something I don’t like to do and quote heavily from the press release in this post.
But first, let’s talk about what we are tasting tonight. It is the third release in the Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series, and the first of two this year. This Spring release will be followed by a Fall version of the same. It was created using a similar process to Maker’s 46 and the Private Selection program where they take standard Maker’s Mark bourbon and then add 10 specially crafted staves and add them to the inside of the barrel. I’ve enjoyed both of the last two very much and anticipate enjoying this one as well.
Here’s what the company has to say about this release.
“Every whisky in our Wood Finishing Series is meant to have a strong point of view; it should tell a story about what we do at the distillery,” says Jane Bowie, Director of Innovation at Maker’s Mark. “For 2021 we wanted to use wood to draw out those underlying bold qualities of classic Maker’s® that we get from non-chill filtration – heavy oakiness, earthy fig and that creamy, palate-coating mouthfeel.
The first 2021 Limited Release, FAE-01, uses an American oak stave that is seared on one side and left raw on the other to amplify some of the signature dried fruit and oak flavors that Maker’s Mark is known for. The classic Maker’s Mark® Bourbon derives these tasting notes from naturally retained elements of barrel char and organic compounds called fatty acid esters (FAEs), which are responsible for both fruity tones and texture variations. Each side of the FAE-01 stave draws out different characteristics of these two flavor components – the charred side offers dark leathery tobacco notes, and the raw side yields fresh fruit, the two of which come together to create intense barrel-aged fruitiness. While 2021 Limited Release: FAE-01 focuses on drawing out specific flavors, 2021 Limited Release: FAE-02, arriving later this year, will be defined by its rich, weighty texture.
“This first release tastes just like a Kentucky barrel warehouse smells,” says Bowie. “If you’ve ever walked through a rick house and taken a deep breath, you can almost taste the bourbon in the air, and that’s the experience we’ve created with FAE-01. There’s tons of pleasantly dank wood and tobacco on the nose, and rich, warm raisin and fig on the tongue – it’s literally like sipping on angel’s share.”
Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series, 2021 Limited Release: FAE-01
Purchase Info: $64.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Super One Liquor, Duluth, MN. The suggested retail price is $59.99.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33 at my purchase price. $4.00 at MSRP.
Details: 55.3% ABV.
Nose: Toffee, oak
Mouth: Nice spice, toffee, cinnamon, cocoa, and oak.
Finish: Spicy and warm. Lingering notes of toffee, dusty cocoa, and oak.
Thoughts: This is very wood-forward bourbon. Water brings out more fruit and cocoa notes. There is a nice spiciness throughout. This might almost have too much barrel influence for me. It is trending toward muddiness. That said, I will still happily enjoy the occasional pour out of the bottle I bought when the mood for a wood-forward bourbon strikes me. I like this, but not as much as I had anticipated or hoped. But then, I'm not a huge fan of oaky bourbons preferring my bourbons to be a bit more balanced between oak and other flavors. Since they were hoping to replicate the experience of walking through a barrel warehouse, I’d say that they accomplished their goals.
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