Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Review

A couple weeks ago, the SCWC gathered with the Maker’s Mark team, including Jane Bowie and Johnnie the Scot, and we tasted through a lot of great stuff – like this Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing. The sample pictured below was sent to me by MM’s PR agency before the tasting and was a happy coincidence, but during the SCWC tasting, I learned a couple of things about this release.

Like how Jane and her team specifically chose the PR5 and SC4 staves because they wanted to highlight the vanilla and caramel inherent in Maker’s Mark; they wanted to amp up those notes and bring them front and center. Though they didn’t put both PR5 and SC4 staves in the same barrel. They had a batch of barrels using PR5 and a batch using SC4 and blended them together: 55% PR5 staves at 4 weeks, 32% SC4 staves at 5 weeks and 13% SC4 at 6 weeks

Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Series – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Maker’s Mark
Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 26% Red Winter Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak,
Age: 6-7 Years
ABV: 55.4%

Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Batch: 2020

Price: $60*

White background tasting shot with the Maker's Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Series bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“Our second-annual limited release from the Maker’s Mark® Wood Finishing Series is an utterly unique bourbon that’s also a worthy tribute to the one-of-a-kind vanilla and caramel taste notes that make our signature Maker’s Mark® so distinctive” – Maker’s Mark

Tasting Notes

EYE
Deep amber

NOSE
Fresh pastries, oak, cornbread, butterscotch, baking spice, vanilla frosting, touches of fruit, French Toast, toasted marshmallows, bubble gum and char. Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Series aroma is complex and lovely with this overall “bakery” quality to it that moves along with the oak and spice in a way that’s just… delightful.

PALATE
Oak, red licorice, fresh pastries, cornbread, butterscotch, baking spice, vanilla frosting, touches of fruit, French Toast, coconut, caramel and bitter char. The palate is a touch muted compared to the aroma and carries a more dessert/dark sweet profile but again, a solid oak layer propping it all up.

FINISH
Med-Long -> Oak, cocoa, leather, char, caramel and marshmallow. A wonderful fade that slowly goes from earthy to sweet in a velvety transition.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Good balance, full body and an oily feel.

Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Series – Overall Thoughts and Score

I enjoy Maker’s Mark. It was one of the first bourbons I could sit and sip neat and truly enjoy. That was some 17+ years ago, but the memory is still pretty fresh. I remember opening that first wax bottle, taking my first sip outside of a bar and thinking “I get it, I get why people sip bourbon”.

Sipping this Maker’s Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Series, I get a hint of that feeling coming back. I get that pop of elation and excitement while sipping this because it’s so different, so fun and so good. If you love bourbon, this should be on your list to try.

SCORE: 4/5

*Disclosure: The sample for this Bourbon review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.

Maker's Mark 2020 Wood Finishing Review $60

Summary

This is a lovely whiskey and seeing how the whiskey changes and picks up new notes compared to the standard Maker’s or even the Maker’s 46. It’s just good bourbon.