Brian’s Maker’s Mark BRT-01 Review
reviewed 12-April-2023
MAKER’S MARK BRT-01 BOURBON REVIEW:
I found Maker’s Mark BRT-01 (BRT-01) to be an outstanding bourbon with a complex and engaging aroma and well-balanced flavors of stone fruit, sweetness, and oak. Its mouthfeel is smooth and creamy, and the finish is warm and satisfying. Overall, this is an appealing, well-crafted, and complex bourbon that’s sure to impress most whiskey enthusiasts.
MAKER’S MARK BRT-01 VITAL STATS:
Category: Straight Bourbon Finished with 10 Virgin Toasted Oak Staves
Region: Loretto, Ky
Company: Beam Suntory
Distillery: Maker’s Mark
Mash Bill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: 110
Finishing Staves: Added to the barrel, then given an extra eight weeks of maturation
Age: nas
Non-chill filtered
ABV: 54.7% (109.4 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 19499
Release Date: Fall 2022
Price: $59.95 (Idaho, November 2022)
MAKER’S MARK 2022 BRT WOOD FINISHING SERIES:
2022 marks the fourth year Maker’s has produced the Wood Finishing Series. Each year has had a unique taste vision. This year the two releases focus on barrel rotation (cycling rackhouse location). The goal is to distinguish and enjoy the unique flavors found on the top floors while comparing them to barrels stored lower in the warehouse.
Since 1953, Maker’s consistent flavors have been credited to the hand-Barrel RoTation process. Top barrels in the rickhouse are brought to the bottom, and each level is then raised to ensure equal exposure to varying temperatures over time. The designation “BRT” for this year’s releases comes from this practice.
BRT-01 comes from the top (hotter) space of the rickhouse. American oak staves are inserted into the barrels to develop big and bold flavors extracted from the barrels during the first three years of aging.
— Maker’s Mark
To learn more, click Maker’s Mark 2022 BRT Wood Finishing Series Release.
ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:
Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.
Click for Hannah‘s review and Elora’s review!
MAKER’S MARK BRT-01 NOSE:
BRT-01 is an engaging bourbon with with many sweet and vibrant aromas. From the first inhale, notes of sherry, lavender potpourri, roasted sweet corn, and wheat grain waft from the Glencairn. The scent evolves into a mix of red berries, sweet cherries, raisins, prunes, figs, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and white pepper. Baking aromas of raisin English muffins and brown sugar pastries add to the sweetness. The aroma also has hints of chocolate malt, cocoa, vanilla, and maple. These aromas marry well with those of roasted pecan and light, fresh-cut oak which mingle with the sweet, smoky scent of charred oak and earthy petrichor backed by freshly tooled leather tying everything together. This is an amazing nose and it hard to resist taking the first sip!
MAKER’S MARK BRT-01 PALATE:
The first nip of BRT–01 is bright with prominent stone fruit flavors of apricot and stewed peaches. With each subsequent sip, the flavor deepens as dark fruits, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves mix together. The sweets sensed in the nose come through, as well-balanced flavors of chocolate malt, vanilla, honey and a slightly burnt brown sugar butter sauce blend in my mouth. While there are some slightly bitter notes (reminiscent of coffee, cream and sugar), the bourbon has a somewhat dry foundation of seasoned oak and barrel char, both of which add depth and complexity.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
BRT-01 offers solid, well-balanced aromas and flavors in each creamy and viscous mouthful. The liquid is easy-to-hold, yet stimulates the tongue with a slight tickle. As the Glencairn is set down after each sip, fat, long legs fall quickly to return the dregs to the mahogany-colored pool. This bourbon has a smooth and enjoyable mouthfeel, with a balanced mix of sweetness, spice, and bitterness and overall, is appealing and well-crafted.
MAKER’S MARK BRT-01 FINISH:
Maker’s Mark BRT-01’s satisfyingly warm finish lingers in the throat. I sense tannins, and the presence of dark fruits, prunes, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and pepper. They combine to compliment the bourbon’s honey and toffee sweetness providing a pleasing contrast to the oaky char. There is also a faint earthy bitterness here which adds depth and complexity to the overall flavor profile. Maker’s Mark BRT-01 offers a harmonious blend of sweet and spicy flavors, with a warm and satisfying aftertaste leaving behind a lasting impression. And when the last dram is gone, keeps giving as brown sugared sawdust and barrel char can be drawn from the empty Glencairn.
MY RATING: 92/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 92/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click Maker’s Mark.
WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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