Ranking the Maker’s Mark range is a hard thing for me to do. I love this brand, and having to decide between them is difficult, but here we go.
This Maker’s Mark ranking is purely personal opinion, taking into account what offers great value, what could be a risk, and what could be a risk worth taking. As always, I have only ranked what I have tasted. So pour yourself a glass of something and join us as we work our way through this remarkable and historic collection of whiskeys.
10. Maker’s Mark Private Select, 53%+
A rather controversial start, but as these tend to be staff and store picks, they won’t always hit the profile you personally enjoy about Maker’s Mark.
I’ve helped select five of these for a former employer, and they were all very different, deliberately so. This isn’t in last place because they’re bad, far from it. It’s because those specific profiles appealed to one person, or a particular team of people.
Luckily, if they are staff or store picks, you should be able to try before you buy. But with more than 1,000 different stave combinations possible, there’s always a chance you might not enjoy the one closest to you. A steady starting point for our Maker’s Mark ranking.
9. Star Hill Farm Whisky, 58.2%
The new kid on the block! This whiskey was welcomed with plenty of applause, and I think it deserved it, but it seems to have fallen out of the conversation a little.
Crafted from red winter wheat, heirloom hard red wheat, and hard white wheat, this whiskey offers a very complex, fruit-driven aroma of thick molasses and figs. The palate is buttery, rich, and sweet, with just the right amount of bite, while the finish lingers with cinnamon and sweet pastry notes.
It comes in at around £100 in the UK and, as good as it tastes, people are tightening their belts when it comes to higher-end releases.
8. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, 55%+
I’ve gone through many bottles of this and, as good as higher-proof Maker’s Mark is, I generally find myself craving the lower-proof releases.
This bottle is all about salted caramel and rich oak notes. It’s one of the most deliciously sweet and potent releases in the bourbon market. For the price, it comes in well below some of its major competitors, but for some reason I always find myself reaching for the lower-proof releases instead. I think that’s simply the Maker’s Mark I know best.
7. Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series The Stewards Release, 54.9%
The newest release in the Wood Finishing Series pays homage to the stewards who oversee every aspect of Maker’s Mark. This is the first Wood Finishing Series release in our ranking, and it’s perhaps the truest to the core Maker’s Mark style.
Finished with 10 virgin oak staves, it has an intoxicating aroma of burnt sugar and sweet rolling tobacco, followed by plenty of dark fruit and sweet, sticky richness.
It’s a great bottle, but there are two other releases in this series that ticked my boxes a little more.
6. Maker’s Mark 101 Proof, 50.5%
This is a bottle that I think delivers a little more than the Cask Strength. Remember, folks, just because it’s cask strength doesn’t mean it’s better.
Of everything in this Maker’s Mark ranking, this was one of the bottles I had the most trouble placing. Then I remembered that it literally smells of buttery popcorn and apple butter.
I last tried this when I was in Kentucky, and it almost melted in my mouth. I’m a fan of 101-proof products, and this is a great addition to that list. The oakiness on the finish is balanced and welcoming, while those buttery notes make this thing sing.
5. Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series The Keeper’s Release, 56.3%
As a drinker who enjoys bolder oak flavors, this is the bottle I reach for when I want that hit of charred wood, deep vanilla, and even more of those sweet rolling tobacco notes.
With additional oak influence from 10 virgin oak staves, and a name honoring the people who look after maturation, we’ve got a bold, woody, potent bottle of Maker’s Mark.
A real pour for the deepest, coldest nights, and one that splits the middle of our Maker’s Mark ranking.
4. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2026, 56.05%
The oldest yet! A blend of 11, 12, and 14-year-old bourbons. Maker’s Mark is really embracing its aged stock now, and it’s wonderful to see and taste.
This has broken into the top five of the Maker’s Mark ranking for good reason, including one point on which I actually disagree with Maker’s Mark. They say it has no bitterness, but I think it does, and I mean that as a massive compliment.
I remember when the brand said it would never release older whiskeys. Times change.
The depth of flavor here, the wood influence, and those incredible dark cherry and cola notes that roll off it in abundance are impossible to ignore. Bitterness isn’t a bad thing for me, and bourbon aged for more than 10 years should welcome and embrace those little shades of darkness that help accentuate its excellent depth of flavor.
3. Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 45%
Some of you won’t like where I’ve placed this, but this is my list… so there.
I love this bottle. It’s so distinctive in its shelf presence, its history, and the way it delivers those wonderful wheated notes of orange, caramel, wild tobacco, and baked vanilla.
Taking third place in our Maker’s Mark ranking, this is a well-established, foundational bottle of bourbon that has done so much to drive the distillery’s reputation into the stratosphere.
It’s always in the house, and it always will be.
2. Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series The Heart Release, 56.3%
When I tried this, it changed my perception of what Maker’s Mark could deliver when it comes to chocolate notes.
As a man whose sweet tooth seems to grow as he gets older, this is an incredible concoction of sweet, hedonistic dessert trolley treats. Maple candies, melted milk chocolate, sweet caramel sauce, brown sugar, vanilla custard, and a silky finish that reminds me of boozy hot chocolate.
This thing is an utter masterpiece, and I wish it were available in the UK. I’d actively harm people to get my hands on a full bottle.
Taking the coveted silver medal in our Maker’s Mark ranking, and originally priced at just $75, this is an outrageous bottle.
1. Maker’s Mark 46, 47%
Now, this isn’t here because it scored 99/100 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Of everything on this list, this bottle holds quite a special place for me. It’s a $40 bottle of bourbon that feels like an upgrade from its famous big brother and uses a unique approach to developing its flavor. I’ve bought cases of this in my lifetime already.
Not only does it remind me of bourbon-soaked espresso, brown sugar, dark chocolate, and apple blossom, but it’s also a bottle that laid the foundations for so many of the others on this list.
It was the first new bottle the distillery had released in 52 years when it launched in 2010, and it has gone on to help build Maker’s Mark’s reputation as one of the finest producers of any alcoholic spirit in the world.
Top spot in the Maker’s Mark ranking.
What’s Your Favorite Maker’s Mark?
That’s my ranking, but Maker’s Mark has enough variety across the range that I’m sure plenty of you would put these in a completely different order. So what’s your favorite Maker’s Mark, and which bottle do you think deserves the top spot? Let us know in the comments.
Read the full article at Maker’s Mark Ranked: The Ones Worth Buying And The Ones To Skip
