It's everything you love about Maker's Mark with a whole lot more to love. Our founder himself, Bill Samuels, Sr., was the first fan of this high proof bourbon. Bill liked to tuck a little 101 aside for friends and special occasions. And for a long time, this was the only way you could experience these intensified notes of caramel and spice brought on by the higher proof- yet matched with that familiar Maker's Mark smoothness. Now- at special times during the year- this limited release is available for you to share with guests of your own. Learn about how the whisky at the core of Maker's Mark 101 is brought to life below.
What you smell and taste in a whisky is highly subjective.
Even the pros do not always agree on the tasting notes. Therefore, we have combined the tasting notes from several sources into a cross-section Nose, Palate, and Finish to find the commonalities between two whiskies. We use the Aroma Wheel with its concentric circles of increasingly specific tastes and smells (general in the center; more specific the further out you go) to find Exact, Secondary, and General matches between two whiskies. We also take into account other important factors like mash bill, barrel type(s), ABV, region, ratings, price and more. We then weight each factor based on what we believe to be the approximate importance it has in determining whether two whiskies are similar.
We're all different.
Again, we cannot stress enough that what you smell and taste in a whisky is likely going to be different than the person you're drinking it with. Whisky Mates is meant to be a guide to help you find what you like drinking, using the best methodologies available. In the end, rely on your own palate to tell you what you like and don't like.