Brian’s Maker’s Mark RC6 Bourbon Review:
reviewed 05-October-2021
MAKER’S MARK RC6 REVIEW:
This bottle of Maker’s Mark RC6 (Maker’s RC6) has been lurking in the bunker for a couple of years. Highly touted by many bourbon pundits, RC6 was Maker’s Mark’s first widely distributed Wood Finishing Series offering, albeit from a limited number of available barrels. With the addition of the latest in the series, it is time to review Maker’s RC6.
The nose of RC6 is inviting with herbal notes light fruit, spice and sweet all balanced with a slight woodiness. Its aroma makes me salivate. Once the mouth acclimates to the heat, herbal undertones, faint Maraschino cherries and bitter citrus zest blend with spices of cinnamon, ginger and black pepper. But the sweetness sensed on the nose is nearly gone. This is a woody, medium finish bourbon.
MAKER’S MARK RC6 VITAL STATS:
Category: Wheated Whiskey, Wood Finishing Series
Region: Loretto, Ky
Distillery: Maker’s Mark
Mashbill: 70% corn; 16% soft red winter wheat; 14% malted barley
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel Proof: 110
Age: nas (believed to be about 6 years old)
ABV: 54.1% (108.2 Proof)
Purchase Price: $69.95 USD (2019 – Idaho)
For RC6, released in 2019, Maker’s Mark expanded it’s Maker’s Mark 46 methods using 10 staves of American oak, seasoned by exposure to the elements for 18 months. The staves were then toasted in a convection oven. The distillery released just 255 barrels of RC6; there’s wasn’t much to go around.
Click Maker’s Mark for more Wood Finishing Series information.
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into two Glencairns. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
MAKER’S MARK RC6 NOSE:
At first waft, Maker’s RC6 presents with a fair amount of ethanol. In fact, it nips at the nose before light fruit tree blossoms and herbal notes of roasted field corn and drying wheat are detected. There are aromas of sweet cherries and faint peaches as well as acidic notes of an unexpected chocolate covered citrus fruit. I also picked up spices of ginger and white pepper and fresh wheat bread dusted with cocoa powder. The aromas work well as they mix with sweets of rich vanilla custard, simple syrup, caramelized sugar, and honeycomb. Then come the woody elements of roasted pinenuts, light sweet oak, and hazy toasted wood. While the nose is simple and earthy, the aroma makes me salivate.
MAKER’S MARK RC6 PALATE:
Upon taking the first sip, Maker’s RC6 has a pretty healthy alcohol bite. Once the mouth acclimates, herbal undertones, faint Maraschino cherries and bitter citrus zest blend with spices of cinnamon, ginger and black pepper. But the sweetness sensed on the nose is faint as bittersweet cocoa, faint light molasses seem to fade over the tongue. Unfortunately (for me) the whiskey seems bitter and woody as undefined nuts, dry seasoned oak and hazy and pungent barrel char leave behind an almost musty but citrusy aftertaste.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
For me, Maker’s RC6 is both unusual and unbalanced. It is at first creamy then it gets rough and gritty on the tongue when held. In the Glencairn long thin legs return the dregs of each sip back to the tawny colored pool leaving behind a fast falling droplet crown.
MAKER’S MARK RC6 FINISH:
Maker’s Mark RC6 has a medium finish and provides a slight burn at the back of the palate and throat. Like sensed in the mouth it is herbal, and peppery. Its bitterness lingers as fire roasted corn, bittersweet chocolate, nearly burnt caramelized sugar, and hazelnuts. I also get strong woodiness as dry seasoned old oak and barrel char dominate. And when the last drops are gone, faint alcohol and musty oak can be easily drawn from the empty Glencairn
MY RATING: 85/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
The Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series is something I will always purchase regardless of the rating of the last release.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 85/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this distillery, click Maker’s Mark.
WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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