Introduction
Today, we're checking out Maker's Mark 101 Bourbon Whisky. Funnily enough, we've still never tried the standard Maker's Mark expression on the show, despite having reviewed Maker's Mark 46, Maker's Nark 46 Cask Strength, and Maker's Mark Cask Strength, which was great.
Maker's Mark is perhaps the world's most famous wheated bourbon. When we talk about wheated bourbon, it means that the second-most-used grain to make that whiskey is wheat, which tends to round off the sharp edges of the bourbon. It gives them a sweet character.
The Maker's Mark 101 we're trying today consists of 60% corn, 26% red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley. It's aged for at least four years and, as the name suggests, it's 50.5% alcohol by volume (101 proof).
The following review is taken from our episode "Point Break / Maker's Mark 101 Bourbon." Click the link to listen to this 10-miinute review in audio format.
Nose
Brad: I give it a 7/10 on the nose. There's some green apple, a little bit of baking spice, almost an allspice feel. There's some cherry, which is typical for a wheated bourbon. However, the predominant note for me was ethanol. I struggled to get much more than that, and it was hard to find notes that I enjoyed. It's decent but not great.
Bob: When I first poured it out, I got a lot of melon, like a really ripe cantaloupe, but that went away quickly. It was replaced by notes we typically get on wheated bourbons. There's a lot of darker fruit, but for me, it's not cherry. It smells almost like fresh applesauce made from red delicious apples, with the earthiness of the peels. It’s very autumnal for me. I think this would be a great whiskey to nose and sip on a fall day. I'm giving it an 8/10 on the nose.
Taste
Brad: On the palate, I got the cherry and a lot of grainy corn notes. It came across really hot, with a lot of ethanol and a young, grainy taste. It's not bad; you can tell it's a decent quality whiskey, but it wasn't anything impressive. I give it a 6.5/10.
Bob: I don't like this, man. It was immediately bitter, over-oaked, and hot. It's really prickly on the palate because of the ethanol. After trying the Maker's Cask Strength recently, which is also hot but enjoyable, this was a letdown. It has an unpleasant amount of oak with no underlying sweetness, almost a sour bitterness. I’m giving it a 5/10.
Finish
Brad: The finish is where the bitterness really came through for me. I give it a 5.5/10. It gets way oaky, still tastes young, with some corn and a bit of green apple. I'm not impressed with this finish.
Bob: The flavor does hang around on the finish, but it dissipates nicely. It's not as concentrated a bitter sour oak flavor as it is on the palate. I think the finish is a little better because it's like a reprieve from the palate. I'll give the finish a 6/10.
Balance
Brad: I give it a 6/10 for balance. It's somewhat consistent throughout in the flavors it presents, but none of them are that good. I'm trying to recognize the quality here, but I just didn't understand what they were going for.
Bob: I don't think it's balanced well at all. The nose promised a lot that the palate and finish did not deliver on. I'll split the difference and give it a 5.5/10 on balance.
Value
Brad: In general, it seems like this whiskey retails for around $45. This is not a $45 whiskey. I'm going to punish this more harshly than I normally would because Maker's Cask Strength is also about $45, and it's a much better product. I'm giving it a 3/10 on value.
Bob: I agree. This is not good, especially at the same price as Maker's Cask Strength, which is very good. I’m giving it a 3/10 as well.
Final Scores
Brad: My final score is 28/50.
Bob: I’m at 27.5/50. Combined, we come to a total of 55.5/100 or 27.75/50.
Conclusion
At Film & Whiskey, we typically recommend trying a pour at a bar or buying a bottle if it scores above 35/50. A score of 40/50 is considered great, and 45/50 is excellent. Given our combined score of 27.75/50, Maker's Mark 101 Bourbon Whisky falls well short of our recommendation. It’s a disappointment, especially considering the quality of Maker's Cask Strength, which is similarly priced. We suggest skipping this one and opting for Maker's Cask Strength or another bourbon that delivers better value and flavor.
