Hannah’s Maker’s Mark BRT-01 Bourbon Review
Original review written on April 12, 2023
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This is what bourbon should be, plain and simple. For someone who loves fruit in bourbon, this Marker’s Mark offering is an absolute home run. If it’s possible to find, you’ve got to try! 94/100
VITALS:
– Made in: Loretto, Kentucky, USA
– Distillery: Maker’s Mark Distillery
– Classification: Straight Bourbon with Special Finish
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: Corn=70%; Soft red winter wheat=16%; Malted Barley=14%
– Casks: unpublished char
– Barrel Entry Proof: 110
– ABV: 54.7% (109.4 proof)
– Non-chill filtered
– Finishing Staves: 10 virgin toasted oak staves added to the barrel, which is then given an extra eight weeks of maturation
– Price: $59.95 USD in Idaho (November 2022)
“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
Visit makersmark.com for more information
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
For this Maker’s Mark BRT-01 Review, I enjoyed the whiskey neat from a Glencairn glass with sister, Elora, as well as father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages editor, Brian.
Check out Brian’s review here, and Elora’s here!
SETTING:
This bourbon practically IS fruit syrup. It makes me want to pour it over a fruit cup and just bask in it and pretend I’m being extra healthy. This bourbon screams luxury and decadence, and prettily sliced fruit layered in intricate patterns and BRT-01 are a match made in heaven.
Photo by Hans Reniers on Unsplash
NOSE:
Maker’s Mark products are often classified by a smooth inhale with dark fruits coming to greet you. BRT-01, instead, starts with a punch of brown sugar and cinnamon. Behind these baking spices, is a rich vanilla custard and even a maraschino cherry, which isn’t something I frequently find on a nose. I can find a sweet maple buried in a new oak as well, adding almost a sunny warmth. The alcohol is gentle, even being at nearly 110 proof. It’s a nose that makes me salivate – more than most whiskeys do.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: Velvet. It grips the tongue in a hug, but you are certainly running with the “soft” grain of the velvet.
– Balance: Fruit heavy. You have to search for other profiles, and it might difficult… but it will be there.
– Visual: Terracotta pot in color, the crown shatters quickly into droplets. What’s left are long, clinging legs that break into scattered droplets.
– Taste: The start of the sip – and truly, I only mean the very start – contains the wheaty grain, but it transitions so quickly into a maraschino cherry that’s been soaked in fruit syrup. There’s a bright acidity here as well, like the pineapple that could be found in the fruit cup next to that cherry. A light vanilla appears for a moment, but the hero of this palate really is the fruit. (Readers who know me: I bet you can sense my pure glee at this moment). There’s yellow-fleshed peach that fades into almonds ever-so-slightly.
I will say that the complexity is slightly lacking here – fruit is dominant from start to finish, and if that’s your favored profile, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bourbon doing it better than BRT-01. If you want heavy spice, or oak, you’ll have to hunt. Nevertheless, you can still find those things underneath the fruit. The oak is new, much like it was on the nose. New like it was just milled and the moisture hasn’t seeped out yet. The spices consist largely of ones to use when baking, like nutmeg.
A Kentucky chew aggravates the vanilla, which makes me salivate even more. It doesn’t particularly hurt, and I quickly give into the temptation to do it again.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Medium-long. Heat lingers on the tongue and bourbon warmth persists everywhere.
– Between Sips: A nearly burnt caramel appears between sips accompanied by one or two sour cherries.
– No More: This stays consistent throughout the glass – in fact, it even gets better. The warmth grows without seeming to peak, and it’s easy to fall into a fruit haze. It’s an incredibly impressive pour, and as soon as I set the glass down, I want another sip.
The empty Glencairn is a warm sawdust, as if it was freshly milled and the heat of the saw is still present. There’s more spice in the empty glass than there was in the original pour, but I am still perfectly content. A great pour finishing with a great empty glass…. when is the next pour?
WORTH THE PRICE?
I wish there were more of these bottles available now. It’s an easy decision – if you see this bottle on the shelf, then you need to grab it. It’s a great addition to the Wood Finishing Series from Maker’s, and it could very well be the best. $60.00 gets you exactly what a bourbon should be without breaking the bank too hard.
MAKER’S MARK BRT-01 REVIEW RATING: 94/100
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