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

Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review

I am taking a break from the beers tonight and enjoying a bottle of Knob Creek...well not the whole bottle, but perhaps a large portion of it. I have been eying Knob Creek for some time now and the moment it became an Air Miles special, bringing an extra 15, I jumped at the opportunity and got a bottle.

I don't know where to start with this. The bottles at the local LCBO stores cost $45.95 and come in only 750 mL. Just like Maker's Mark, the tip is sealed with wax, but once you remove the wax you will find that the cap is plain old cork, which comes out every time with a satisfying pop.

The bourbon is golden amber in color and very oily-looking from the swirl of the glass. It coats the inside of the glass with slow tears forming and rolling back into the contents of the glass. The bourbon has a very sweet, very rich and warm toffee-like aroma with some hints of vanilla. It feels oily as it coats the mouth and the 50% strength really hits your hard, leaving the tongue slightly numb. The taste is rich with a warm, long lasting finish. Subtle smokey tone and a touch of oak add...no, enhance the bourbon and make it an enjoyable slow sipper. Yeah, I drink it slow, because it is somewhat rough going down due to its high alcohol content. If you can get past that, you will be rewarded with a long lasting, rich finish. Your call.

Unfortunately I do not have the neccessary ingredients to make myself a Manhattan or try Knob Creek in another cocktail. I might revisit this review in the near future once I acquire everything that is needed.

Scores:
Cost - $45.95 for a 750 mL bottle from LCBO
Taste - 8.8/10

Overall - 8.8/10...high alcohol content with an amazing, long lasting finish

Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select Review

Look at the bottle for 5 seconds. Now you should know why I picked this up. In the bright, fluorescent light in the LCBO, this looks absolutely magnificent. It makes everything around it look like crap, like their containers were washed in feces, then dragged through pebbles across the ocean floor, then washed in feces again. The bottle feels unlike any other bottle I have held in my hands - it is delicate, yet it packs a punch. Its contents are 45.2% alcohol. The large bottle does not even have that label on the back so it looks even better. The only problem with buying a larger bottle is the price - $46.95 for the 750 mL and $24.95 for the 375 mL. I only wanted to try this bourbon. If there was a sampler bottle, I would have bought that one. Enough stalling, I want to drink this.

The bourbon is deep golden in color. The bourbon has strong, slightly sweet caramel aromas with hints of vanilla, very intoxicating. Oh boy, you really feel the 45.2% with this one. The body is slightly thick and smooth. Sweetness and a slight spicy bite on the tongue. The finish is medium with a nice, warm feeling and slight hint of vanilla. Great tasting bourbon, very warm and satisfying and the bottle is an absolute pleasure to look at.

Scores:
Cost - $24.95 CAD for a 375 mL bottle, $46.95 for a 750 mL
Taste - 8.2/10

Overall - 8.2/10...great aroma, great taste, great finish, but I would go for Maker's Mark if they had smaller bottles. A 750 costs the same, but offers a little something extra

Maker's Mark Review

I am a big fan of scotch. Last summer I decided to venture out and try some whiskeys (and whisky). This summer, is my summer of bourbon. The first bottle that I bought was Maker's Mark, one of the premium bourbons at $46.95 CAD. In retrospect I should have done what I did with the whiskey (whisky) and scotch - start at the bottom. My excuse is an episode of "Eastbound & Down". If you haven't watched it yet, go and do it. Anyways, in one of the episodes Kenny Powers (played by Danny McBride, the guy from Pineapple Express) starts working out to eventually get back into the major league. Well, the song that plays when he starts working out is Lil Wyte's "Fucked Up" and its chorous mentions Maker's Mark quite a lot of times. There is also something I would like to point out - whoever made the mistake and posted the lyrics as "Makers Moka" and all the lyrics sites picked up is an idiot. What the hell is Maker's Moka? It's Maker's Mark, or that's what I think. What do I know about rap anyways? Anyways, I checked it out and it turned out to be a highly respected bourbon. Fast forward a couple of months later and there is a bottle of it in my cool and dry cupboard.

First off, it's 45% alcohol...45%. How does that differ from the usual 40%? Well, it's a higher number, go and do the math. The worst that I have ever had was a shot of Bacardi 151, with no chaser. That's 75.5% alcohol. The Maker's Mark did not seem much stronger than the usual 40%. Once I took a slightly larger sip I was able to taste the extra 5%. I found that for me (the inexperienced) it is better to take small sips and let them sit on your tongue for a while. The spirit smells absolutely unbelievable, like caramel and toffee with hints of vanilla. I would say with confidence that this is the best smelling spirit I have ever had. At first it tasted like other premium dark spirits - quite refined and a bit smoky. I wasn't blown away until it went down. The aftertaste unlocked some pleasant tastes - more vanilla and a bit of caramel. The taste lingered for quite a long time and it got better in the first 30-40 seconds then levelled off. The second test I did was with ice. I put a huge chunk of glacial ice in a lowball glass and poured a bit of the spirit in. Within half a minute I was able to sense the caramel and vanilla much clearer. The taste and smoothness improved quite a bit for me. The aftertaste was the same - fantastic.

Later on I tried it a few cocktails including a Manhattan, a Brooklyn and some local award winning recipe with watermelon and lemon. None of them tasted above average. I think this is much better enjoyed neat or on the rocks.

Scores:

Cost - 6.7/10 (at $46.95 CAD due to our high taxes)

Taste - 9/10

Overall - 15.7/20...I wish it was a bit cheaper because I went through a 750 mL bottle in less than 2 weeks and would definitely buy it again.