The whiskey of the month for December is the Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged for 2024. It is an excellent whiskey that we loved. Maker’s Mark has outdone itself this year. I have had the whiskey for some time, but we wanted to end the year with this whiskey as our whiskey of the month. It deserves the honor and could have easily been chosen before now, but we wanted to end the year with a whiskey that could be our whiskey of the year. Matt and I agree that it is outstanding and here are our tasting notes.

Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2024

Proof: 119.3

Age: Twelve Years Old (15% twelve years old, 85% thirteen years old)

Nose:

  • Mike: Vanilla, green apples, baking spices and sweet oak wood.
  • Matt: Caramel, coffee beans, cherries, cinnamon and sweet oak wood.

Taste:

  • Mike: Vanilla, green apples, cinnamon, white pepper and sweet oak wood, Tasted with a dried cranberry and the spices are enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a rich caramel toffee and the green apple flavors are enhanced.
  • Matt: Caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, pipe tobacco and sweet oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the caramel and chocolate. The pecan enhanced the cherry and tobacco flavors.

Finish:

  • Mike: Medium long with sweet oak wood and white pepper. The dried cranberry, made the finish longer and with more spice. The pecan made the finish long and dry with sweet oak, white pepper and lingering green apple.
  • Matt: Medium long with oak and pipe tobacco. The dried cranberry made the finish longer with lots of pipe tobacco. The pecan made the finish very long with sweet oak wood, pipe tobacco and a lingering citrus note.

I would pair this fine Bourbon with a Padron 1964 Anniversary Series Maduro cigar. The rich vanilla and caramel and tobacco notes would pair well with the sweetness of the Bourbon.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller