The first bourbon in our wood-finishing series, Maker's Mark 46 was created by Bill Samuels, Jr., to amplify the flavors he loves in Maker's Mark. The innovative wood-stave-finishing process starts with fully matured Maker's Mark at cask strength. We then insert 10 seared virgin French oak staves into the barrel and finish it for nine weeks in our limestone cellar. The result is Maker's Mark 46: bolder and more complex, but without the bitterness typical of longer-aged whiskies. Want the full Maker's Mark 46 story?

This truly small-batch bourbon starts with traditionally grown corn, rye and malted barley. All of our staple grains are cultivated exclusively for us on the Omlin Family farm in Quincy, Washington. The grains are mashed, distilled, and barreled in our Woodinville distillery, then trucked back over the Cascade Mountains to our private barrel houses, where Central Washington's extreme temperature cycles promote the extraction of natural flavors from the oak. Prior to being coopered, the barrel wood is seasoned in open air, rain, wind, sun, and snow for eighteen months, softening the wood's harsh tannins. The barrels are then slowly toasted and heavily charred to further enrich the wood's desirable flavors. This meticulous process yields a truly hand-crafted spirit with aromas of crème brûlée and spice cabinet, as well as notes of rich caramel, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean on the palate with a sweet, lingering finish.