Original: $89.99
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$31.50The Story
Wood Finishing Series - Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The third of five planned whiskeys in Maker’s Mark’s Limited Release Wood Finishing Series has arrived. The Stewards Release follows 2025’s The Keeper’s Release and 2024’s The Heart Release, this time honoring the “stewards” of the distillery, which seems to cover everyone from quality control to marketing.
Curiously, the listed stave finishing recipe for this whiskey is the same one that was used last year, with 10 virgin toasted American staves dropped into the barrel for its final months.
The Stewards Release showcases a bolder, woodier nose, almost evergreen in construction, tinged with menthol and eucalyptus notes, plus a stony, almost gravelly edge. Time in glass evokes a touch of barnyard, almost sweaty.
On the palate The Stewards Release is wholly agreeable though definitely earthy savory, with overtones of walnut shells, hemp rope, and anise dominating the experience. It’s perhaps unlike any other Maker’s Mark whiskey I’ve ever encountered, pouring on notes of wet asphalt, gunpowder, and more of that licorice-fueled anise character.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: Bright, Cherry Pie, Vanilla Beans
Taste: Honey, Toasted Marshmallow, Candied Ginger
Finish: A vibrant forward finish with notes of stone fruit and salted caramel.
This is a drying whiskey with a short, earthy conclusion, and though it may feature a familiar recipe, it comes out the other end a completely different animal.
54.9% ABV / 109.8 Proof
750 ML
Description
Wood Finishing Series - Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
The third of five planned whiskeys in Maker’s Mark’s Limited Release Wood Finishing Series has arrived. The Stewards Release follows 2025’s The Keeper’s Release and 2024’s The Heart Release, this time honoring the “stewards” of the distillery, which seems to cover everyone from quality control to marketing.
Curiously, the listed stave finishing recipe for this whiskey is the same one that was used last year, with 10 virgin toasted American staves dropped into the barrel for its final months.
The Stewards Release showcases a bolder, woodier nose, almost evergreen in construction, tinged with menthol and eucalyptus notes, plus a stony, almost gravelly edge. Time in glass evokes a touch of barnyard, almost sweaty.
On the palate The Stewards Release is wholly agreeable though definitely earthy savory, with overtones of walnut shells, hemp rope, and anise dominating the experience. It’s perhaps unlike any other Maker’s Mark whiskey I’ve ever encountered, pouring on notes of wet asphalt, gunpowder, and more of that licorice-fueled anise character.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: Bright, Cherry Pie, Vanilla Beans
Taste: Honey, Toasted Marshmallow, Candied Ginger
Finish: A vibrant forward finish with notes of stone fruit and salted caramel.
This is a drying whiskey with a short, earthy conclusion, and though it may feature a familiar recipe, it comes out the other end a completely different animal.
54.9% ABV / 109.8 Proof
750 ML
