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#makers-mark
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Impressions: Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026
I’d like to thank Maker’s Mark and their PR team for sending these samples with no strings attached. Hello my friends! It is time for another Bonus Post. Today is a little different than usual. Normally, even in a bonus post, you get full tasting notes, maybe an anecdote that sorta connects to the whiskey, and some info about the release. Well, as you can see above from the unopened sample bottles, Maker’s Mark didn’t really send enough for us to do a full tasting. In fact, it wasn’t even enough for one of us to do a proper tasting. Not that I’m complaining or anything. I still get the opportunity to share my impressions with you so you can see if it is worth spending the money on when compared to the two standard bourbons the company puts out. First, I’ll post the press release, and then we will get into my impressions of the Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky as compared to Maker’s Mark and Maker’s 46. LORETTO, Ky., April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Maker’s Mark® today announced the highly ant
by Eric Burke0 viewsi-m-neutral-on-thismakers-markmiscellaneous-whiskeywhiskey-reviews - news
13th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The Championships
Welcome back, folks! We are now at the end of the 2026 contest. Eight whiskeys entered the arena. Four have fallen by the wayside. There have been some delicious treats, with not a single stinker in the bunch. Let’s see how it all ends and if we’ve learned anything along the way. First, we have the Round Two matchups. Division 2: Crooked Meteor (Maker’s 46) vs. Wobbly Parachute (Benchmark Single Barrel) Pre-Reveal Thoughts: On the mouth Wobbly Parachute is giving me a little more cherry and baking spice. Crooked Meteor also gives some fruit and baking spice, but tosses a little bubblegum in there too. Crooked Meteor has a softer mouthfeel, being almost velvety by comparison. Wobbly Parachute is sweeter on the nose showing more toffee-This is so close that I'm going to hazard a guess that the winner here goes on to take the whole thing. I like Crooked Meteor's nose better. Wobbly Parachute has a nicer finish. At the end of the day though the mouthfeel of Crooked Meteor gives this just t
by Eric Burke2 viewsbracketsbourbonbartonbuffalo-tracebrown-formanfour-roses - news
13th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: Round 1c: Maker’s 46 vs Woodford Reserve
Good afternoon friends! We are back yet again with the third of our Round 1 Competitions. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2026 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 2’s Number 3 seed, Woodford Reserve taking on Number 2 seed, Maker’s 46. Maker’s 46 was the second wide-release, permanent product in the history of Maker’s Mark. The first being…Maker’s Mark. It came after much experimentation under the direction Bill Samuels Jr., son of founder Bill Samuels Sr. The “46” is said to be the winning trial number in the original experiments. Maker’s 46 takes the original wheated Maker’s Mark and “finishes” with the addition of French Oak staves toward the end of the aging process for a sweeter and spicier product. Maker’s 46 is produced at the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, KY. This bottle was purchased at Viking Liquor Barrel in Prior Lake, MN for $29.97 for a 750 mL bottle or $2.
by Eric Burke2 viewsmakers-markbrown-formanbourbonbrackets - news
13th Annual BourbonGuy.com Brackets: The “inflation is Weird” edition.
You know what time it is! The NCAA basketball and hockey tournaments are getting started here soon, which means everyone is in bracket mode. It really is a wonderful time of year. Up here in the northernmost state in the contiguous U.S., the snow is still trying to fall—we got over a foot at my house this weekend. Though, thankfully, the end is in sight. Gardeners have started their seeds, there are days when the windows can be opened, and, of course, there are brackets to be filled out—and busted. No, not those silly basketball or hockey brackets. We’re talking bourbon brackets. And let me tell you, this really is my favorite time of year. In fact, I enjoy it so much that next year, when I may decide to hang up the ol’ keyboard, I already know what my last series of posts will be: brackets. But don’t worry—that’ll be 2027 at the earliest, since I want to make it to 15 years of publishing before I make a decision. I’m calling this round the “The Inflation Is Weird” edition. Mostly beca
by Eric Burke2 viewsbourbonbartonbrown-formanbuffalo-tracenon-distiller-producerfour-roses - news
Bourbon Distillery House Styles
Why do essentially the same style bourbons made from different distilleries taste so different? The laws on the books for producing bourbon are very restrictive. The law states that “Bourbon Whisky is whisky produced at not exceeding 160 proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51% corn, and stored at not more than 125 proof in charred new oak containers”. Our Master Distiller at Heaven Hill Conor O’ Driscoll puts it this way. “There’s only so many levers we can pull.” Yet bourbon tastes different from one distillery to the other. What is it that makes them taste different? I describe the difference in a large part is “House Style”. House Styles are talked about with Cognac and Tequila distilleries, and it’s something I’ve been talking a lot about lately with bourbon distilleries too. Especially now since there are around 1,800 craft distilleries, along with the 10 major distilleries. Those 10 by the way produce about 95% of the worlds bourbon. Here’s something I learned from Greg
by bernie5 viewswhiskey-301bourbonbulleit-bourbonbulleit-ryeevan-williamsjim-beam