BOTM 7/11: Maker's 46

I was at a Makers ambassador event yesterday in DC and was less than impressed with the service, but it was a new bar (Jack Rose) and they are just getting their legs.

I came home craving some bourbon, I was desparate enough to make a quick dusty stop while jonesing and picked up a late 80's Old Charter 7 yo. But I went home and and wanted to put together some tasting notes. I poured some Lot B first then continued a second pour of 46 in tribute to the evenet I bailed on. (usually when I do tasting notes I sample two for reference, then do notes on it alone just because then I get to drink it twice).

I am not going to give the full notes here, but I enjoyed the sweet similarity to Lot B, the 46 had a strong front side sweet and mellow back bitter. The major difference was that 46 did not hold up at alll with water, while the Lot B did OK. Once the 46 took some water the sweet really disipated and the bitter back became prominent. Now I love me some bitter flavors, so thats not a bad thing.

All in all, I would drink it, but it is at its best bottle strength, I am interesting in finding out if it would do any better stronger (barrell strength).

Better than regular Makers Mark. A good training wheels Bourbon for new afficionados. If this was barrel strength I bet it would be something we would all think was special. As presented worth a try but not good enough for the price to earn a permanent place at my bar.

I have not tried it but I have had bottles of regular MM on two occasions. Reading the comments here does not encourage me to go out and buy a bottle. That being said, I have had Old Weller Antique 107 and agree that it beats the pants off any MM product that I have tasted so far.

Unless I find a job soon and can afford to try a bottle, I will not be going for the Maker's 46 anytime soon. :lol:

It seems I'm in the minority, I actually prefer standard MM to 46. Perhaps I'm somewhat biased since MM was my introduction to bourbon. However I've expanded my horizons a good deal since then and in terms of entry level bourbons I'd still rank it ahead of Buffalo Trace and Knob Creek. Maybe not Elijah Craig.

Anyway, this thread led me to taste the two of them head to head. It's been a while since I've had MM, though I did recently purchase a bottle with the thought being that I'd use it as a guilt free pour for use in cocktails and as a gateway/ introductory bourbon for the next conversion project to come through my door.

MM is certainly not a challenging pour but I still enjoy its base flavors. 46 on the other hand strikes me as being rather gimmicky. MM may be inoffensive and lacking in finish. But with 46 I lose the subtle, appealing sweetness and find the finish borderline offensive. To me the smokiness just doesn't fit. I don't necessarily mind it. But it's not something I will seek out or keep around.

FWIW that's my take.

For a frame of reference, my personal favorites to date are George T. Stagg, all the Van Winkle Products I've had (Pappy 15, Lot B and ORVW 10 90) and Baker's.

Last day to enjoy this as BOTM. Good excuse for one more glass tonight, as the bottle has been around for over a year and still over two-thirds full.

Took the flask filled with 46 to the golf course yesterday. Since it was 95 plus the bourbon in it got warm quickly. When it was over warmed I could really taste the extra woodiness and spice. Also some bitterness on the finish. Not enjoyable at all. My typical flask bourbon for golf is Weller SR and it holds up to the warmth very well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BMartin42

My typical flask bourbon for golf is Weller SR and it holds up to the warmth very well.

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Ditto. Warm Weller SR is like buttered popcorn on my lips.

I bought this for Super Bowl 46 as I had wanted to try it anyway.

Unlike (it seems most) other above, I don't have a deep rooted hatred of Maker's Mark. As a matter of fact, I like it for what it is.

That being said, I came up with mixed feeling with Maker's 46. On one side, it did have a bit more flavor up front than the standard MM. But it was also at the expense of some of the brown sugar taste that I like about the original.

It also in a way reminded me of Devil's Cut. Not in the taste, but in the uneven taste I got. Much how many complain that Devil's Cut is a marketing gimmick trying to add oak and age "taste" to relatively young bourbon, the addition of the toasted staves (to me) has a similar uneven taste and feel.

What MM46 really got me thinking, rather than how good this bourbon was, it made me ponder what MM would taste like aged to 10 or 12 years.

I like MM46, but I can't see it keeping a regular role in my typical rotation. The original Maker's will maintain a spot, but when I want Oak and Smoke flavor, I will go elsewhere. I will let it sit around a while now that it is open and try it again to see if this first impression changes.