Maker’s Mark Grand Bohemian Blend

Cost: $18 for 2oz pour

Age: NAS

Mash Bill: 70% corn, 16% soft red winter wheat, 14% malted barley

Proof: 108-114 (forgot to ask the bartender, but this is the standard cask strength for Maker’s Mark)

I got treated by the Mrs. to a nice dinner and a visit to a whiskey bar at a swanky lodge style hotel that recently opened in Greenville, SC called The Grand Bohemian for my birthday. At the whisky bar, they had quite the selection! I’m talking 20yr Michter’s, Pappy 23, etc., but the pricing was beyond ridiculous for the most part (over $400 for a 2oz pour of the two bottles I mentioned above). After coming close to just suggesting we go back home and I’d make some banger cocktails for a lot less, I honed in on a hotel exclusive private selection of Maker’s Mark called “Grand Bohemian Blend.” As a MM fanboy, and generally having never had a bad private selection of Maker’s Mark, I figured this one was worth a go for $18 and a nice night out. Let’s see how it was!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

Appearance: Deep ruby red looking super viscous and syrupy on the sides of the glass!

Nose: Deep notes of luxardo cherry and brown sugar simple syrup. There’s a little astringentness to it (The wife says it singed her nose hairs lol. She’s not a whiskey drinker though.), but a complete cherry bomb coming up in my opinion!

Palate: Baked cherry crisp with a caramelized layer of demerara sugar. This is a very sweet cherry forward sip, but there is a background of some earthy/spicy notes that help provide some depth and balance. I’m picking up a light oak and some baking spices, particularly cinnamon and nutmeg.

Finish: The finish was long and generally spicey with cinnamon, spicy oak, and a little sweetness, like a brown sugar simple syrup. 

Rating: 7.1/10

Overall: What a sip! This thing packed in some sweetness on the front end and then that nice baking spice that I always get on the backend of Maker’s Mark was definitely there. Cherries have been my favorite fruit since I was a little kid, and the amount of cherry that showed up in this pour was a dream for me! So while I loved that, it wasn’t very complex. The nose in particular was just very sweet, the palate had a good bit more complexity, and then the finish was just sort of classic. So while I loved the taste of this, it didn’t do much in terms of complexity. This would actually be a pretty easy drinking cask strength whiskey.

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Widow Jane Decadence

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, WhistlePig PiggyBack SiB, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08