This whiskey was a runner-up for the whiskey of the month for July. This is the latest in the wood finishing series from Maker’s Mark. It is called the Heart Release because they asked all of the distillery employees what they found best in the taste of Maker’s Mark. The answers were caramel, chocolate and maple. They then selected 10 virgin French oak staves to create a whiskey with these flavors. They did an excellent job with the flavor profile. Matt and I sat down and tasted this bottle and here are our tasting notes.
Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series The Heart Release
Proof: 111.7
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, chocolate, maple and oak wood with a hint of apple.
- Matt: Caramel, chocolate, black currents and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, maple, a hint of chocolate, pepper spice and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the caramel and chocolate dominate the flavor. Tasted with a pecan and it becomes full of chocolate, pepper, apples and oak wood.
- Matt: Red hot cinnamon candy, caramel, raisins and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the caramel and cinnamon. The pecan enhanced the oak wood.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with oak wood and pepper spice with lingering caramel. The dried cranberry made the finish sweeter with oak and lingering chocolate. The pecan made the finish long and dry with oak wood, pepper spice and lingering dark chocolate.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood, raisins and cinnamon. The dried cranberry made the finish shorter with oak and cinnamon. The pecan made the finish long and dry with lots of oak and cinnamon.
I would pair this fine whiskey with a My Father The Judge cigar. I think the chocolate and caramel notes in the smoke would enhance the chocolate and caramel in the whiskey and vice-versa.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller