Maker's Mark The Lost Recipe Series Edition 01 (2024 Release)

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Rich notes of cocoa and caramel. Palate: Oak, clove, cinnamon. Not as spicy as some others. Finish: Long duration with medium heat. Splash: No new flavors emerge. Overall: 7.5/10 - I generally enjoy most Maker's Mark expressions, but I found the Private Selects to be overpriced and somewhat disappointing. This is essentially what we have here, although instead of reducing the price, they decreased the bottle size by 50 ml and seemingly produced many 700 ml bottles using this specific stave combination. Considering this is effectively a Private Select, it's among the better ones, but the finish is less than I'd anticipate for 111.9 proof.

Nose: Wood, cherry, maple, clove, and a faint hint of pie crust. Taste: Sweet fruit and maple transition into dark chocolate with some maple. A tannic woodiness builds throughout, causing the sides of your mouth to pucker and lingering afterward as a subtle nutty (structural, not flavor) wood. Experience: Like cleaning old furniture with an scented oil. This Maker's Mark release has a sweet and sour quality for me; the typical finishing series notes are present, but the strong tannic wood isn't as pronounced as in many other releases. I'm really enjoying it, but I can see how the finish might put some people off.

The nose is primarily dried fruit, compote, with some roasted pecan and sweet toasted oak, a slight brandy note. It's quite unified and somewhat subdued. The flavor is definitely a jammy sweetness, apricot, some resinous wood, brandy leading into a medium finish. Overall, very cohesive but muted throughout - no flavors truly stand out. Still very good though. T8ke score: 7.2

Amazing aroma. Abundant jammy orchard fruit. Some burn going down, which is expected for nearly 56% ABV. Strong notes of caramel, toffee, and strawberry preserves. A long finish where the oak is more prominent.

Nose of caramel, vanilla, mocha, pecan pie, oak, char. Lots of char and oak on the palate; no real sweetness despite the pastry smells. Yum.

Less floral than typical Makers. However, the flavor profile is rich and easy to approach. It's not groundbreaking, but it executes its intended character well.