Rating 3 Glasses

Distillery: Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc - Star Hill Farm, Loretto, KY
Years Aged: NAS
Proof: 109.8
Local Price (USD): $67.95
Availability: Uncommon

Tasting Notes

Color & Consistency: Rusty Caramel borderline copper. Slow and thick.
Nose: Rubbing alcohol and cough-syrupy sweetness with a corny allspice.
Taste: Hot like someone lit a fire in your mouth but super sweet at the same time.
Finish: Caramel and vanilla notes linger but HOT as the bowels of the deepest pits of hell.
Conclusion: 10 individual custom wood finishing staves were hand selected by Troutdale Liquor in Troutdale, OR creating this kick in the pants. Maker’s Mark Private Select starts off as cask strength fully matured Maker’s Mark. Custom wood finishing staves are added to the barrel and it is then left to age for 9 weeks in their limestone cellar to create the unique flavor profile.

Available Staves for Selection (information from Maker’s Mark Website):

1. P2

   Virgin American oak and French oak are the woods of choice for Private Select finishing staves. P2, or Baked American Pure, is made from American oak and is the first stave sampled in the program. It adds notes of brown sugar, vanilla, caramel and spice.

2. Cu

   Next in the tasting order is Cu, also known as Seared French Cuvée. Cu is made from French oak that's ridge-cut and seared with infrared heat. It gives off toasty notes of oak and caramel.

3. 46

   The next finishing stave is the one used to finish Maker's Mark 46. It's made from seared French oak and delivers dried fruit, vanilla and spice. A barrel fitted with 10 of these staves would give you a cask-strength version of Maker's Mark 46.

4. Mo

   The Roasted French Mocha stave, or Mo, is French oak toasted at high heat in a convection oven. Mo adds pleasant traces of char, maple and cacao.

5. Sp

   Sp, or the Toasted French Spice stave, is also French oak that's toasted in a convection oven, first at high heat and then low heat. Sp has a flavor profile of smoke, coumarin and spice.

Out of these options Troutdale Liquor chose 5 P2, 2 Cu, 1 46 & 2 Mo.

Staves Picked By Troutdale Liquor

Based on the heavy influence of American Oak in the finishing of this whiskey we understand why it comes across as being very hot on the palate. It isn’t for faint of heart at 109.8 proof and is definitely not in the price point for just anyone either. This is top-shelf hand-crafted Kentucky Bourbon and fits the bill. The waxed top doesn’t give you any extras and there are definitely a few competitors available that could go toe-to-toe (namely Stagg Jr., Wild Turkey Rare Breed & Elijah Craig Barrel Proof) but we would recommend taking the plunge if you dare.