Makers Mark Cellar Aged Cask Strength Bourbon Whisky (700ml) - 2025 Release

"Once again, Maker’s Mark has a home run on its hands..." - drinkhacker.com

"For more than 65 years, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn't something we did," says Rob Samuels, 8th generation whisky maker and grandson of the founders at Maker's Mark. "It's not that we didn't believe in it; we simply hadn't found a way to do it that didn't compromise on our taste vision – until now." Samuels is referring to the brand's new 'Cellar Aged' series. The name might sound like another empty marketing term, but it's meant to evoke what’s really unique about these expressions: Essentially, the pace of maturation has been slowed down. Barrels first spend around six years in traditional bourbon warehouses where they endure the Kentucky climate and its temperature swings until they reach maturity. Select barrels are then moved into the distillery's proprietary cellar for another 5 - 6 years. Built into a natural limestone shelf in the Kentucky hills, the cellar's consistently cool environment slows down the tannic impact that occurs during ageing, while allowing the bourbon to develop a deeper, darker profile with hidden depths, but no bitterness. The label debuted in 2023 and by all reports, they just get better with each release. The 2025 edition is a blend of 11 year old (74%), 13 (10%) and 14 year old Bourbons (16%) boasting the oldest Maker’s stocks since the distillery’s inception in 1953. A total of 245 barrels make up the release. For Maker's devotees, this will tick all the boxes, maintaining the trademark Winter wheat mash bill while offering significantly more mouthfeel, power and persistence. 56.5% Alc./Vol. Non-chill filtered.

Other reviews... Once again, Maker’s Mark has a home run on its hands, with a crowd-pleasing whiskey that nevertheless offers ample depth. The nose shows off some spice, an appetizer that soon winds its way into notes of wood, a bit heartier and more tannic than you expect. My spidey-senses want to tell me that there’s rye in the whiskey based on the nose, even though I know better, thanks to an unusually grassy character that’s well evident. The longer it spends in glass, the more earthy and gritty it seems to get. The whiskey perks up right away on the palate, where a bold cherry note fires immediately. A little torched and scorched, the palate melds Maraska cherry with boysenberry and butterscotch, giving the whiskey a fruit pie quality, complete with toasty crust and lots of cinnamon. Cherry and cinnamon continue to dominate the palate well into the finish, which layers in touches of chocolate and cloves — later some cardamom. - drinkhacker.com