Credit: Maker's Mark
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged is a bourbon from Maker’s Mark, and the first age-stated product from the company. It is made up of a blend of bourbons with 13% aged 11 years and 87% aged 12 years.
Released annually starting in September 2023, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged is bottled at a cask-strength 115.7 proof.
Its approach to aging is unique:
- For the first six years, it ages in Maker’s Mark’s traditional whiskey warehouses.
- The barrels are then moved to the distillery’s whiskey cellar for an additional five to six years.
The Whiskey Cellar was carved from a limestone hillside in 2016 to meet demand for Maker’s 46, which is finished for approximately 9 weeks in the 50ºF cellar.
Today, most Maker’s Mark is aged for about 6-7 years, and the distillery insists that the bourbon “tells us when it’s ready, and not the other way around. Unlike most distillers, Maker’s Mark isn’t satisfied simply setting a clock. That’s why we age to taste, not time.”1Maker’s Mark – How It’s Made Maker’s Mark often allows guests visiting the distillery to taste their whiskey at 10-12 years of age, but typically use it to illustrate an over-oaked flavor profile.2Finally! Maker’s Mark gives us old bourbon
“For more than 65 years, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn’t something we did. It’s not that we didn’t believe in it; we simply hadn’t found a way to do it that didn’t compromise on our taste vision – until now.”
— Rob Samuels, 8th generation whisky maker and grandson of the founders at Maker’s Mark
Images
TTB-approved front label
Press Photo
Credit: Maker's Mark
