Maker's 46 Review

Almost two years after the review of the original Maker's Mark comes the Maker's 46, which only recently made its way across the border into the LCBO. So why is this called 46 and what is so special about it?

The name 46 comes from the name given to the staves used during aging. Forty six was the profile number given to each of the staves places in each barrel during the aging process which turns an already aged Maker's Mark into Maker's 46. The bourbon is special because it is supposed to be Maker's Mark taken up a notch...and we already know how good Maker's Mark is.

To start off, I poured myself a couple of fingers and gave the glass a swirl. The deep amber liquid coats the sides of the glass with its oily goodness and slowly rolls back into the bourbon pool. The aroma is very potent and quickly fills the air around you with a pleasant combination of sweet toffee, oak and spices. Maker's 46 has a a very oily initial mouth feel which is quickly cut by the saliva. The taste is very intense with a lot of spices, some toffee and a very clear seared oak towards the end. The finish is earthy with a lot of burnt oak and spice and very little toffee. The spice seems to linger the most out of all the finishing flavours and creates a mouth-watering effect. The 47% are felt and 46 has a stronger bite than its father, the Maker's Mark.

Overall, this is an excellent bourbon, but here are a couple of things to consider before rushing out to get a bottle - one, this costs almost $50 and two, the classic Maker's Mark has been reduced to only $37!

I really enjoyed it and do recommend it if you are a huge fan of oaky notes, but with this bite, spice and price, I would rather go for the tried and true.

Update: I just had this with some coke and it was an absolute delight. The bourbon compliments the coke so well that I thought the mix tasted better than the soft drink itself. I started off with about 1 oz added to a 3/4 full glass of coke (180 mL) and continued with the 2 oz addition, which brought out some of the alcoholic character but still resulted in a very enjoyable mixed beverage.

Scores:
Cost - $49.95
Taste - 8.9/10
ABV - 47%

Overall - 8.9/10...great new bourbon, though I still rather have the classic one