The latest WftA Podcast Episode is ready to download! In this show, we delve into how women navigate the traditionally male-dominated world of whiskey.
Hannah and Elora Dawson, Whiskey for the Ages editors – and independent women, talk about the challenges they’ve met while purchasing their favorite pours. We’ll also consider recent industry news, and enjoy some brown liquid along the way.
Maker’s Mark BRT-01 Bourbon offers an explosion of scents and flavors that is bound to attract almost all bourbon novices and experts. I hope you all enjoy my review on this wonderful drink.
MAKER’S MARK BRT-01 VITAL STATS:
– Category: Straight Bourbon Finished with 10 Virgin Toasted Oak Staves – Region: Loretto, KY – Distillery: Beam Suntory – Distiller: Maker’s Mark – Mashbill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley – Barrel Char: unpublished – Barrel Entry Proof: 110 – Age: nas – Filtration: non-chill – ABV: 54.7% – NABCA CSC#: 19499 – Release Date: Fall 2022 – Size: 750 ML – Price: $59.95
I enjoyed this bourbon neat with my father and sister while listening to acapella covers of popular music.
Check out Brian’s review here and Hannah’s review here!
AROMA
There is so much to offer with this bourbon. Fruity tones, such as chocolate-covered cherries and coconut shavings and orange and lime zest, provide a nice vibrancy. There are also several sugary notes, like maple sugar, caramel, baked blueberries, saltwater taffy, gingerbread, and cane sugar. In addition, there are notes of sweet smoke and oak, peppercorn, salt, peanuts, corn, and nutmeg. All I can really say is, “Wow, wow, wow!” I truly hope it will be just as tasty as what I am smelling.
TASTE
Feel: It feels like a comforting warmth in the mouth. It is smooth and viscous, but it doesn’t really bloom in the chest; it just settles there until it dissipates. Balance: This has such a great balance. I am able to get flavors out of nearly all of the categories of our bourbon wheel, and I don’t really feel like any of these are overpowering each other. Visual: To me, the color resembles that of mahogany. When I look at the glass, I can see big, fat, long legs and droplets as well as a faint outline of a crown.
The taste is different from what I got in the aroma, but it still impresses me. The initial flavors I get are more on the nutty side; peanuts, browned butter, and salted sunflower seeds emerge quickly. After this, I get a lot of sweeter tones, such as caramel, honey, berry cobbler, cherry, vanilla, browned sugar, and maple syrup. There are also a few hints of salt, crackers, and peppercorns.
I want to mention, this bourbon is unlike any that I have ever had. If there was a drink that I could compare to each season of a year, it would be this. Not only do I detect numerous flavors that one could find in spring and summer, but I can also find cooler tones, such as mint and pine. I know it sounds a bit abstract, but honestly, there’s no other way I can truly describe this. This is just a perfect beverage to have in any part of the year.
FINISH
As intricate and powerful these aromas and tastes are, the finish for me doesn’t last as long. It grows in the mouth, going from warm to hot, and settles in the chest, but dissipates after a short to moderate amount of time. The specific flavors that I get are mostly deep fruits, dark sugars, charred woods, and cool earth. My mouth feels refreshed after the flavors fade out, and I am more than eager to take another sip.
There were so many elements to this bourbon. It had so much to offer, and so much to show. Therefore, I wanted to choose a couple of powerful soundtracks that would fit it. Both “Unstoppable” and “IV. Allegro con fuoco” have powerful and motivating melodies and harmonies. I hope you enjoy this strong drink while listening to these equally strong songs.
WORTH THE PRICE?
This powerhouse of a bourbon for just short of $60? Absolutely! This is a very fair price, and I would be more than happy to splurge on it to keep it on my shelf.
GET IT AGAIN?
I would most certainly get this again. This bourbon, to me, was like a work of art. There were so many elements, so many colors. Every time I went in to smell and taste the bourbon, it was different.
1The Score, “Unstoppable, July 15th, 2016, The Score – Unstoppable (Official Audio), The Score (YouTube Channel), Album: Carry On 2Antonín Dvořák, “IV. Allegro con fuoco” from Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, B. 178 From the New World, December 28, 2017, Gustavo Dudamel Dvorak Symphony no 9 4th movement Allegro con fuoco, Pablo Sallato (YouTube Channel)
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
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.
