Overview: Is Maker’s the most polarizing Kentucky bourbon? Possibly.

Obviously, many people love Maker’s as they are one of the largest and oldest distilleries in the US. However, others don’t, and that’s perfectly fine. Maker’s has always stayed true to a specific flavor profile, and they haven’t (to my knowledge) released any super-aged bourbons. That means, since they use wheat, some Maker’s expressions can get a bit “bready” and lack the complexity of whiskeys that include rye or spend more time in the barrel. I happen to be someone who loves wheated bourbons; one of my all-time favorites is Weller 12, which I consider the benchmark. Today, we’ll be sampling a new release from Maker’s that is part of their wood finishing series.

Most of us thought the wood finishing series was over, but according to the label on this bottle, this is the second chapter. The first chapter (aka the “license plate series”) included bottles like BRT-01, BRT-02, FAE-01, etc.

Here’s an excerpt from the label: “For this second chapter of our limited release wood finishing series, we pursue unique taste visions inspired by the teams who craft our handmade bourbon in Loretto, Kentucky - the makers of our Maker’s if you will. In this 2024 release, known as the Heart Release, we have crafted a one-of-a-kind expression that celebrates our team that distills our whisky. This team is the center - the heart if you will - of our whisky-making process. This stage in the process serves to guide all other stages, ensuring our taste vision is realized. Fruit forward with caramel, maple, and chocolate notes, this expression features a rich, creamy mouthfeel that is a pure delight. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we enjoyed making it.”

Age: NAS (No Age Statement)

Proof: 111.7 (55.85% ABV)

Mashbill: 70% corn, 16% soft red winter wheat, 14% malted barley

Secondary Finish: French oak staves

How the Stave Finish Works

A quick word on what’s actually happening here, because it’s the whole reason this bottle exists. Standard Maker’s Mark is matured in a regular charred oak barrel like any bourbon. For the Wood Finishing Series, Maker’s takes fully matured Maker’s and adds a set of custom-seared French oak staves to the barrel for a secondary maturation period. Those staves are toasted and seared to a specific profile chosen by the team, and they impart flavors the original char barrel never could. It’s the same principle behind the Maker’s Mark Private Selection program, just applied as a single nationally released expression rather than a store-by-store pick. If you want the deeper mechanics of how toasting and searing wood changes a spirit, the Bourbon 101 piece on toasted bourbon covers it.

The other thing worth flagging: at 111.7 proof, this is a cask-strength-style release, well north of the 90-proof standard Maker’s and the 94-proof Maker’s 46. The extra proof matters here — it gives the wheated base enough backbone to carry the heavier stave flavors without collapsing into pure sweetness.

Nose: The nose is not typical of the standard Maker’s Mark profile. It’s much sweeter and doesn’t have any of those bread notes, youthfulness, or nuttiness. The first note to hit me is maple syrup, followed by caramel, buttery popcorn, cherry, blackberry, a bit of chocolate, and some vanilla. The French oak staves are clearly doing the heavy lifting — this smells more like a dessert course than a 111-proof bourbon.

Palate: The palate is less fruity than the nose would indicate. It’s darker and richer, with burnt caramel, heavily toasted marshmallow, pronounced sweetness, wood sugar, vanilla, and even some mocha or coffee notes.

Finish: Some spice on the back end from the higher proof. There is no rye in this mashbill, so as I would expect, there are no baking spice notes. The sweetness continues with burnt marshmallows and burnt sugar. The finish is long and very pleasant, but it isn’t super complex… no real twists and turns, just more of the same notes, but I very much enjoy those notes.

Final Thoughts: As is typical with all Maker’s releases, this isn’t super complex due to the shorter time in the barrel and the lack of rye in the mashbill. What complexity it does have comes from the secondary finish and the higher proof than most Maker’s releases. It is sweeter than a lot of bourbons, but that’s exactly what you expect from a wheated bourbon given a heavy stave finish — and if that’s not your profile, this won’t change your mind.

But it’s squarely in mine. I like higher proof (check), I like wheated bourbon (check), I like finished bourbon (check), and I was able to find this for around $60, which is fair for a limited cask-strength release. The honest caveat is the lack of a rye-driven spice backbone and the relatively short barrel time, which keep it from delivering the twists-and-turns complexity of a longer-aged, higher-rye bourbon. But for what it sets out to be — a rich, sweet, fruit-and-chocolate-forward wheated finish at real proof — it nails the assignment. I’ll be hunting for more of these before they disappear, which earns it a Top Shelf rating.

If You Liked This, Try…

• Maker’s Mark Private Selection “Golden Hour” — The store-pick version of this same idea: custom French oak staves on the wheated Maker’s base, but with a stave profile selected for one specific barrel. If the Heart Release’s finish appeals, the Private Selection program lets you chase different stave combinations.
• Larceny Barrel Proof C924 — A wheated bourbon at full barrel strength without any secondary finish. A useful contrast for tasting how much of this bottle’s character comes from the staves versus the wheat itself. Rich and high-proof, but driven by the base distillate rather than the wood.

Rating: Top Shelf — Rating system explained