Maker's Mark Whisky

Maker's Mark is one of Kentucky bourbon's most recognisable names, instantly identified by its hand-dipped red wax seal and its notably soft, rounded style. Produced in Loretto, Kentucky, it stands apart from many mainstream bourbons through its use of soft red winter wheat in place of rye as the secondary grain in the mash bill, a choice that gives the whiskey a gentler profile built around caramel, vanilla, baking spice and sweet oak rather than peppery bite.

That wheated style remains the foundation of the range, from the classic Maker's Mark bourbon to Maker's Mark 46, which takes the original whiskey and adds extra layers of spice and structure through finishing with seared French oak staves. The result is a richer, more robust expression that still retains the house's trademark smoothness.

Maker's Mark also continues to label its bourbon as "whisky" rather than "whiskey", a long-standing quirk of the brand often linked to the Samuels family's desire to give the house a more distinctive identity. Whatever the spelling, the appeal is obvious: a bourbon that is approachable, polished and unmistakably its own.