Before I got into whisky I was more interested in (making) cocktails, so I had about 100 different spirits in my shed. When it came to bourbon whiskey Maker’s Mark was an early favourite. That’s almost 25 years ago and I now realize I’ve never reviewed the core expression here.
Today we’ll have two Private Selection releases of Maker’s Mark exclusive to Germany. The whiskey was selected in Loretto, Kentucky and finished with a set of oak staves. Every retailer taking part in this programme can select ten oak staves which are added to the barrel for a nine week finish.
The stave types are mentioned on the label. The Kirsch Import bottling comes from a cask with 3 baked American Pure2 staves, 2 seared French Cuvée staves, 4 ex-Makers Mark 46 staves, 0 toasted French mendiants and 1 toasted French spice stave. Notice that the Wu Dram Clan version has no baked American oak but much more French oak for instance. This alters the balance between sweetness, vanilla, toasted notes and spicy elements.
Maker’s Mark 6 yo (55,4%, OB for Kirsch Import 50th Anniversary ‘Private Selection’ 2026, cask staves 3/2/4/0/1, 264 btl.)
Nose: MM’s typical sweet note comes out right away. There’s caramel and honeyed nuts, along with a nice sweet mocha candy note. Hints of buttery pastry with brown sugar, a good dose of vanilla and cinnamon too. Subtle hints of prunes and blackberries in the distance, as well as light mint. Perhaps a slightly rummy character as well. Lovely.
Mouth: follows the nose with vanilla, brown sugar and caramel, but also aniseed and hints of bitter almond. Also a slightly fragrant edge. Then white pepper and a good amount of clove. Toasted wood takes over, along with some cocoa and dark roasted coffee beans.
Finish: long, with a spicy warmth, mainly on cinnamon and clove.
With 3 baked American staves, you’re highlighting the vanilla and the sweetness. Here it works really well: very round but never too much. Just below € 100, available in Germany.
Maker’s Mark 6 yo ‘Inferno’ (55,4%, OB for Wu Dram Clan ‘Private Selection’ 2026, cask staves 0/2/3/3/2, 270 btl.)
Nose: initially this focuses on the wood notes with slightly less sweetness up front. More toffee than full-blown caramel. More fruity brightness (even a little roasted pineapple) with a hint of wheat and more mint oil. Hints of roasted coffee beans underneath, with deeply toasted oak. Overall brighter and slightly more complex altogether.
Mouth: closer to the Kirsch version than on the nose, in my opinion. A lot of caramelized nuts, forest honey and herbal notes. Here as well the oakiness and tannins become a little fragrant – even perfumed at some point. Then also bitter chocolate and Italian coffee. Nutmeg and clove for the win.
Finish: long again, with more chocolate, toasted oak and cinnamon.
It’s clear that the extra wood finish left its mark, but the differences between the stave compositions isn’t huge. Same score for me, it depends on your mood. I like the added complexity of the Wu Dram Clan, but I also love the sweetness in the Kirsch nose. After all Bourbon whiskey is about sweetness, right? Score: 88/100