107. Maker's Mark 46 Cask Strength Review

Welcome to another trip down the Bourbon Road with your hosts, Jim and Mike. So grab a glass of your favorite bourbon and kick back.

We would like to thank our friends at Premium Bar Products for sponsoring this episode. If you're ready to step up your game at your home bar, check out premiumbarproducts.com to choose from their wide selection of glassware, all of which can be custom engraved with your personal message or logo. And there's no minimum order. So after the episode, head over to premiumbarproducts.com and check out everything they have to offer. Now let's get on with the show. Hello, everybody. I'm Jim Shannon.

And I'm Mike Hyatt.

And this is The Bourbon Road. And today, Mike, we're reviewing a well-known whiskey.

Yeah.

But one that's kind of got a little bit of a twist on it.

Just a tad bit. You know, this is one of my favorite whiskies to drink. It's a weeded bourbon. So no surprise there, right? That's right.

Absolutely.

Not a craft distillery by any means. Maybe back when they started, they were craft, but I doubt it. And before they came out with this, they hadn't made another type of whiskey for, what'd you say, 63 years? 57 years.

57 years. 57 years on a single expression.

That's a long time on one expression of whiskey. And to be one of the most popular distilleries, probably on the face of the earth. So what we're talking about is Maker's Mark. And what we're going to drink is the 46 cast strength that came out this fall. And that's the twist we're talking about. That is the twist on it.

Now, Mike, you said once, well, you said many times that you're the self-proclaimed Weedy King of Kentucky, but I did hear you say one time, if there ever was another Weedy King of Kentucky, it would be Mr. Bill Samuels.

Well, I'd think two guys, right? In my mind, Bill Samuels or in Bill Samuels Jr. or Dave Pickerel. The Samuels, this father and a son being Makers Mark. And then obviously Dave was a master distiller at Makers Mark too, and went on to be the godfather of craft distilleries, which is fitting for today, right?

Right. Absolutely. I think the difference is maybe that they wouldn't be the self-proclaimed. No, they just, they just are.

Yeah. Self-proclaimed just, I don't know, boasting on yourself. I do love weed bourbon or weeded whiskey. I just, I just love it. And I'm in Kentucky, so I don't say I'm the weeded bourbon king. I just say I'm the weeded king of Kentucky.

So let's talk a little bit about. What it means, what, what makers 46 means.

So that is a stave profile that Bill Samuels Jr. Came up with himself. Um, and it's French oak staves that are added to that barrel. And that's what it gives us that extra.

I guess kick. Right, and if you've been to Maker's Mark or been on the tour at Maker's Mark and you've seen the cutaway of a Maker's 46 barrel, you can see they've got kind of an insert, it's a framework kind of, sure, that is made up of a variety of staves depending on the recipe, right? Yep.

So you could put different staves in there like private selects. They have a whole you could pick. I think it was eight different kind of staves that you could pick to put inside your barrel and age that stuff. That's that's to me, it's pretty neat and stuff. This came out this year. Forty six has been out since 2010. I was in a liquor store the other day and I heard a young man telling a lady that that whiskey right there is 46 years old. And I just started giggling.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I was like, if that was 46 years old, it dang sure would be sitting on that shelf right there. That's right. Be up in some vault somewhere probably.

Yeah. 46 years in the barrel. I'm not sure that would be drinkable whiskey. Not in bourbon country anyway.

Pouring on some pancakes would be syrup.

If anything was left in the barrel, right?

Yeah. You know, as you can look at this bottle right here, Jim, and I pulled it off the shelf, you know, I've been drinking on this thing just a little bit and I haven't had it that long.

So this is, this is right near the top of your list. I would say it is.

And it's castring. So, so the regular private select is 94 proof. This is 109.6. So it, it'll get you home for sure.

So when they say profile, stave profile number 46 took a lot of different tests to get to 46, right? Was that, um, was that created by bill Samuel's jr?

Yeah, that's, that's him going in there and experiment. It sounds like maybe that was his 46 triad.

And it's kind of what he preferred.

Yeah.

Okay.

It gives that more, uh, fully matured taste to it, you know?

Yeah. So they take, uh, they take maker's mark and then they do this extra little bit to it and they've created a new expression, 57 years as just maker's mark, just plain old maker's mark. Yeah. What other bourbon can you think of that's did that? Uh, well an old Forester, weren't they, weren't they stuck around with like one thing for a very, very long time until they came up with the whiskey rose series.

Yeah, but that's Brown Foreman. They own a whole bunch of different places, right? Yes, that's true. But they only had this one bottle. There's, you know, you walk through a store and you see that red wax that's dripped down the edges and stuff. And that. It's an iconic brand. That bottle you can notice it from anywhere. I almost say you could almost walk into any bar in the world and they're going to have a maker's mark bottle on the shelf.

Yep. Well, Mike, let's get to the whiskey.

Let's do it. I'm getting some rich leather on the nose and some tobacco.

It is a, it does have a little bit more of a deeper, a richer nose to it. I also think I'm picking up a little bit of lighter fruit along with that, that more oaky impression I'm getting. So.

Yeah, I could get those pear. Yeah, I could get a pear, a nice peach.

Yeah.

That's not ripen peach. You know, when you cut into it and it's still hard, it's just the start of peach season. Right. That's what I'm getting. Yeah.

So oak, stone fruit. I'm getting the leather too, but not, not like a preponderance of it. Not like a whole bunch, just, just a little bit.

Well, as it opens up in the glass a little bit, I think that that leather and that tobacco go away and you pick up more of that oak of that, maybe that French stave, a little bit of cinnamon, just a tad bit, right? Beautiful nose on it though.

Yeah. Great nose. Let's taste this thing. Let's taste it. Wow. Very nice. Can you see why I love it? Oh yeah. And you know, for me, Mike, this is my first bourbon of the day. And we've talked about this before, how if you don't warm up, that first one will get you with a little bit of bitterness. Oh yeah. I'm not really getting that too much here.

No, not on this. You get that sweetness on the front of the tongue. You know, that bourbon taste, some little bit of, just a tad bit of corn in there with this, but you can tell it's the wheat. But the good thing about it is on the back end, you get that spice, that cinnamon spice that you smell in the nose.

Yeah. And I tell you what, I'm getting that hug right away. That's a nice hug. That's a, that's a warming hug right there. I feel like somebody just lit, just lit a campfire right in my chest. Nice and warm. More of that, more of that, um, lighter stone fruit, a little bit of, uh, a little bit of that Oak on the back end of my palette. Um, kind of feeling it, you know, I'm still got that hug from the last sip going on. Uh, I think the finish is carrying on for me to the next sip, but I'm getting a little bit of that, that, that preponderance of Oak that I said before, I'm now I'm getting that on the back. It's sort of settling in for me.

Very nice. It's a, that proof is there. It's not high proof. I wouldn't say, you know, it's not a one 20 or anything.

109 point.

So 109.6. Okay. Not super over powerful or anything like that, but about 15 points higher than the standard issue. Yeah. It's definitely got that power to it. You know,

Yeah. I mean, it's definitely sticking around. I love the finish on this. I think it's a very enjoyable. The hug just doesn't go away. It just stays right there.

Yeah. This is be a great fall early winter by a fire. Sit here, drink that, a Woodrow by my side, just enjoying life right here. This is a great, to me, medium to long finish on it. Like you said, it's sticking with you, right?

It is. And a little bit of that is the, is the hug. I think, you know, the hug sticking around too, but that flavor, that back of the, back of the palette, flavor that I'm getting that's definitely from the contribution of those staves and the added proof is just causing it to hang around a little bit longer than I think I remember a standard 46 hanging around. So this is not, this is one of those bourbons that definitely benefits from the higher proof. Same bourbon, different proof, different impression.

As it sets there, and I said medium to long, now I'm going to say just a long finish on it. I'm picking up that cinnamon, almost like after I'm drinking it, it's set on my pal a little bit. I get that cinnamon toothpick that mean you brought up time and time again. Back in the eighties, early eighties, people came out with cinnamon toothpicks and we go store and you buy them and you just, you know, kind of suck on them and stuff. That's what I'm picking up in this, that cinnamon. The sweetness is still on my tongue. I love it.

Yeah, the cinnamon definitely is much more prevalent on the palate than it is on the nose. We were just picking up a hint of it on the nose, but on the palate it's right there. It does develop a little bit more as you continue to sip on it. And I'm even getting a little bit of a sort of a cinnamon butteriness too. So I'm getting this nice viscous butteriness on the back of my palate as I continue to sip it. So it is developing as I continue to sit down on this.

So $55 is what this goes for. You can buy it nationwide. It says limited edition, so I'm hoping next year they do the same thing and release it again. I wish I'd have bought a case of this. That's how bad I'd want another bottle of it. How hard is it to find, Mike? I think, you know, when I went to Total Wine or I'd go to Liquor Bar after I got this bottle, it seemed like it was everywhere. And I should have just grabbed as much as I could grab. So obviously it is limited. You know, it says limited edition and stuff. I don't know if you'd be able to find a bottle right now, but if you're offered a bottle or you see a bottle, I'd say you better grab it.

At $55, it might make a great Christmas gift, but you're going to need to get it before you wait too long.

Yeah. I'd say grab it when you can grab it. I think it'd make great gift for somebody. That's not a very high priced bourbon. Maybe in some people's minds that'd be high priced, but I think the average bourbon drinker would, would pull the trigger on this bourbon right here.

Yeah. Well, Mike, you got less than a half a bottle left. Yeah. If the listeners want to send me another bottle, I'll take it. So you won't be, you'll be shopping again here real soon.

Well, I don't know if I need to bourbon shop right now. I, you know, we're just two lucky dudes that have plenty of bourbon. We do have a tasting coming up on November 14th here in Shelbyville, Kentucky. It's for the Weller brand. I have four different expressions there. I'll be leading the tasting. I'll be cracking up a little bit in there. If I'm drinking, my funny side kind of comes out. So come join us. Buy tickets right now. It's $35. It's at the Barrel Room in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Jim won't be there this time. You're going to be up in the mountains of Virginia. We do want you to join us, kind of experience the Bourbon Road, experience Shelbyville, go shopping before the tasting. Have a great time.

Yeah. It sounds like a great price to try four well-known weller expressions. So that would be the antique, the 12, the special reserve and the full proof. Wow. What a deal.

What a deal. Yeah. And you get to spend the afternoon with me.

Yeah.

Oh, that makes it great. Heck, I should charge you $55 to come to it now. No, I think it's a good deal. It'll be our second tasting. Jim, you did the Blanton's one, which was fitting because you're the right guy. Yep, I'm doing the weeded one, weeded guy. So come out, buy tickets. They're going to go fast, I think. People are looking for stuff to do now. It should be a great evening.

So, if people want to learn more about this, then they can certainly reach out to either one of us on Facebook or Instagram. You can also go to the barrel room's Facebook page, which is OLB barrel room, right? OLB stands for Old Louisville Brewery barrel room, OLB barrel room in Shelbyville, Kentucky, and they're going to have a posting on there where you can go ahead and get your tickets, right?

Or you can go get a link off our website. private Facebook group, the bourbon roadies. I shared that on there a little bit ago. Um, go on there, check it out. That link will take you to the barrel room, take you to that event. You buy tickets right there. Like I said, $35 for four pours and you get a foolproof pour. What's a foolproof pour? Go for it.

Uh, yeah, I would say probably 15 to $20 for a full proof pour. Yeah.

If not a little more, some places antique and a 12 year. Yeah. That's, that's pretty special.

Yeah. I think that that is, uh, that's a bargain. I mean, even if you own a few bottles of Weller, that's still not a bad deal for a day out, right?

No, you're, you're going to get entertained for sure. I'll have a couple of stories. I'll tell you the history of Weller. I'll talk about weeded bourbon itself, which will include Maker's Mark. I'll talk about that a little bit and how that Maker's Mark has a tie to Weller. We'll talk about all that. So yeah, I think it's great. Back to this 46. What do you think? What's your overall take on it?

Yeah. So this is for me, this is definitely something I want on my bar. I don't have a bottle right now, but I definitely want this on my bar. I will definitely share it with anybody who comes to visit, who loves the hair proofs. And I might just pick up a bottle to give away if, you know, to that, to that special person who likes that high proof, weeded whiskey.

You know, sometimes makers marks get a bad rap, I think, but the true bourbon drinker out there, they know what they're drinking.

Maker's always solid. It's always a, it's always a safe choice. If you're out and about, you want to have a good pour or something. I mean, even the standard maker's expression is fine. Personally, I prefer the 46. I always have, but now that there's a cast strength out there, I think I have a new go-to for a bottle that's got the 46 on the front. This is definitely, it's on my radar now.

Now, how would you compare this to Weller Antique?

The Antique. So this is not as spicy on the palate as the Antique is, I think. I think the Antique's a little more spicy. Sometimes I think the Antique has a little bit more of a cherry note to it. This is a little more stone fruit. This one here, I think has a better finish. Personally, that's my opinion. I'm right now, I'm experiencing this. I haven't had a Weller Antique in a few weeks. Oh, maybe my memory is not that great. They're both fine whiskies. They're both great whiskies.

Yeah, I was saying they're both weeded. They're both around the same proof point, right? So, you know, I hate to say this, but I would take this over Weller Antique. And that's saying a lot from me.

Yeah, I think I'm probably leaning in the same direction, Mike, although with this caveat, I haven't had antique in a few weeks and I may be forgetting a little bit about it, but this is definitely on my mind now.

Well, I actually had a pour of Weller antique last night, um, just to finish my, finish up my night. And, uh, this is just so much better. I just love it. Um, you know, I can't say enough about it.

All right. Well, if you're listening to this episode and you have an opportunity to go out and see a bottle or you have seen a bottle recently, I think Mike and are both going to suggest the same thing.

You'd better pick one up at $55. You can't go wrong. Yes, sir.

Now, if this doesn't, if this isn't your profile, we understand, but man, if you do get it, I bet, you know, a friend would love to taste it with you.

So most definitely. So you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube at the Bourbon road. Um, you can go to our website, www.thebourbonroad.com.

And on that website, you will find our podcasts. You can listen. Uh, you can also read our blog. Mike puts out a nice article every week. And, uh, you know, we'll, we'll have our glassware on there where you can come on and shop and pick up a bourbon road, Glen and Karen. We'd love to see you get one of those glasses, post a picture on our bourbon roadies group. Speaking of the bourbon roadies, Mike.

The bourbon roadies is our private Facebook group. You can go in there, join. We got three questions you got to answer. Are you 21? Do you like bourbon and do you agree to play nice? Meaning don't be rude to others. We just don't tolerate it. Our moderators will just eject you from the group right away. We've we tell everybody that enough, I think that people know, but you could post all kinds of stuff in there. We just don't talk about politics, religion or social issues in there. We talk about whiskey. And our group members, they like to share that whiskey also.

And your opinions are your opinions on there. So if you come in and you, and you like to do a bourbon review and you like it or you don't like it, more power to you. Love to see those reviews, good or bad, because you know, we want to hear your opinion on it. Just don't trash somebody else's opinion.

Yeah, most definitely.

And, uh, you know, uh, we're all like-minded people. We like to share our bourbon. We like to take pictures of it and talk about it. We're just having a good time in there. A little over 1100, 1200 members now. And, uh, yeah, great group of guys and gals.

Yeah. There's a master distillers in there. There's distillery owners in there. Just the regular guys like me and Jim in there just talking about bourbon. Um, We don't sell any bourbon in there though. So don't try to sell bourbon in there. That's just something we don't do. But we tell you that if you receive whiskey from us or some bourbon, please pay it forward. Send whiskey to somebody else. Me and Jim don't need any more whiskey. I don't think. But we would like our other members to get that stuff.

Yeah, it's great to hear about the sharing between, between members. Always good to hear those stories. You can find me on Instagram. I'm jshannon63. I'm one big chief and we will see you down the bourbon. We do appreciate all of our listeners, and we'd like to thank you for taking time out of your day to hang out with us here on the Bourbon Road. We hope you enjoyed today's show, and if so, we would appreciate it if you'd subscribe and rate us a five star with a review on iTunes. Make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, at The Bourbon Road. That way you'll be kept in the loop in all the Bourbon Road happenings. You can also visit our website at thebourbonroad.com to read our blog, listen to the show, or reach out to us directly. We always welcome comments or suggestions. And if you have an idea for a particular guest or topic, be sure to let us know. And again, thanks for hanging out with us.