Maker's Mark vs. Maker's Mark

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Maker's Mark vs. Maker's Mark

Unread postby bourbonv » Thu Jul 27, 2006 7:35 pm

Somewhere along the line someone asked if I had ever done a side by side tasting of Maker's from the past versus today's Maker's. I have been meaning to that since I was asked, and never got around to it, but with some talk of Maker's on another thread bringing this to mind, I thought I would do this.

I have two Maker's Mark bottles to sample. The first is some remaining Maker's from a personalized bottle of 86 proof from the late 60's or early 70's. The other is some from a 500ml bottle of 90 proof from the mid to late 1990's. I don't have any current product on hand, but it should be similar to the 500 ml. Both will be tasted in Glencairn glasses at bottle proof.

Color: The older, lower proof is much darker. It is a nice rich amber color while the 90 proof is more orange-red. This indicates the older bottle has more barrel age on the whiskey.

Nose: The 90 proof has some nice vanilla tones and corn sweetness on the nose. Very simple and unoffensive. The 86 proof is much richer on the nose with some caramel and vanilla with apple fruit and fine leather.

Taste: The 90 proof is Very sweet with corn and vanilla with just a hint of oak. Once again very simple and sweet. Nothing offensive but nothing to excite the mouth. The 86 proof is much richer with dark fruit such as apricots and berries with some rich caramel toffee and hazel nuts. Much more complex and very tastey.

Finish: the 90 proof has a short and sweet finish with some caramel tones finally coming out just enough to tease the taste buds. The 86 proof Has a very long fruity sweet finish with caramel and ripe peaches with a balance of wood tanins that really last a long time. A much more complex and enjoyable drink than many other bourbons found today.

Conclusion: The older product made by the late Sam Cecil was a true work of the distiller's art. This product is as good as anything made at Stitzel-Weller and better some bottles from Stitzel-Weller's later years. You can see a distant shadow of this former product in the later versions of Maker's Mark, but the quality is definitely declined. What was once really one of the first truely super premium bourbons, the modern more modern product has slid down to a mere decent pour.

Mike Veach
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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