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B-21 Top Recommendation
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"There's no doubt about it – this Maker's cask is tailor-made for pure pleasure."
- Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer
It's every bourbon geek's dream to design their own personal perfect dram, and Maker's Mark gives us that chance with their Private Select program. The process is fairly simple, but the possibilities are almost endless. First, we choose a barrel of Maker's classic cask-strength juice, then we select a combination of ten finishing staves from five distinct types to impart a custom profile that's one of a kind – that's 1,001 possible finishing recipes to choose from. For this particular cask, we went with one Baked American Pure, one Seared French Cuvée, four Maker's Mark 46, and four Roasted French Mendiant, and we couldn't more thrilled with the result. As advertised, the Grandma's Graham Cracker Crust barrel is an ode to all your favorite dessert pies, with unabashed decadence at the center of everything. "So smooth and approachable," as B-21 spirits buyer Andrew Kitz notes, this 108.7 proof beauty hits the sweet spot (literally and figuratively) in its robust yet balanced profile that offers just the right level of hedonism and opulence to appeal to a huge audience of bourbon lovers. With such a stupendous result on our first go, we're already thinking about what new showstopper we can come up with next. |
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There’s selecting single casks and there’s building single casks, and the folks at Maker’s Mark offer us a can’t-miss opportunity to do the latter with their Private Select program. For those not familiar, Maker’s uses five different types of finishing staves in their single cask program, selected in combinations of ten by the client. If you struggled with permutations in math class like I did, I’ll give you the answer – that’s 1,001 possible finishing recipes to choose from. For this particular cask, we went with one Baked American Pure, one Seared French Cuvee, four Maker’s Mark 46, and four Roasted French Mendiant (sorry, Toasted French Spice fans, we left that one out). We also left no mystery with the name of the cask either, as Grandma’s Graham Cracker Crust is exactly what you get. Even though it’s bottled at 54.35% ABV, this cask is so smooth and approachable, with no discernable heat on the nose and just a nice warming edge to the finish. Graham cracker crust leads on the nose (obviously), along with all the best fillings – deep red fruits, rhubarb, and raspberry cheesecake. The round, rich, and viscous palate is every bit as opulent as the nose, with initial flavors of … you guessed it, graham cracker crust, now with pecan pie filling. Clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg are extremely well integrated throughout, balanced by a charming faint honey note. With air, the nose takes on additional complexity in the form of sweet tobacco, orange zest, chocolate ganache, and red licorice, while the palate shows some of that same citrus as sweet navel oranges, plus a touch of vanilla bean for good measure. There’s no doubt about it – this Maker’s cask is tailor-made for pure pleasure.
93 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Mar 2025)
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