Maker's Mark

USABourbonWheated

Founded1953

First bottled1958

DistilleryLoretto · Kentucky

OwnerBeam Suntory

StyleKentucky Straight Bourbon (wheated)

CoreOriginal · 46 · Cask Strength

A soft bourbon made with wheat instead of rye — and a red wax seal hand-dipped one bottle at a time.

Flavourofficial / critical

CaramelVanillaSoft grainHoneyWheat breadLight fruit

Glossaryfor beginners

BourbonAn American whiskey of at least 51% corn, aged in charred new oak. Defined by law.

Wheated bourbonBourbon using wheat rather than rye as the flavour grain — less spice, a softer, rounder sweetness. The same family as Pappy and Weller.

Wax dipMaker's Mark's signature finish: every bottle's top is hand-dipped in red wax and left to drip.

Maker's 46An expression with seared French-oak staves added to the matured barrel for deeper flavour.

Range & Collections

OriginalThe red-wax flagship. The soft caramel-and-vanilla sweetness that wheat gives.

Maker's 46Built up with seared French-oak staves — deeper spice and oak.

Cask StrengthBottled at barrel proof; concentrated sweetness and oak.

Private SelectionLimited selections varying the stave recipe by store and bar.

Cellar Aged · limitedSmall-batch limited releases such as cellar-matured bottlings.

Value by AgeData-based2026.6 as of

OriginalFlagship · entry~£30

Maker's 46French oak~£45

Cask StrengthBarrel proof~£60

★ Maker's 46Seared French-oak finish · Stave insert~£45

Maker's Mark's value lies in consistency and identity rather than scarcity — soft from wheat in place of rye, and sealed by hand in red wax, bottle by bottle. It is a wheated bourbon like Pappy and Weller, but plentiful, easy to find and fairly priced. Only the limited Private Selections and Cellar Aged bottlings fill the premium tier.

Prices are approximate retail / duty-free · Limited releases at brand list price · Not a personal tasting score

How It’s Made

Maker's Mark is a straight bourbon made in Loretto, Kentucky. It uses soft red winter wheat instead of rye as its flavour grain, dialling down spice for a round caramel-and-vanilla sweetness. Maturity is judged by taste rather than years to set the bottling point, and every bottle's top is hand-dipped in red wax. The 46 adds seared French-oak staves on top of that for deeper flavour.

Wheated bourbonIt uses soft red winter wheat instead of rye as its flavour grain, for less spice and a rounder sweetness.

Hand-dipped waxEvery bottle's top is dipped by hand in red wax and left to drip — the face of the brand.

By taste, not yearsMaturity is judged by taste rather than age, which sets the bottling point.

Beam SuntoryNow under Beam Suntory, with strong distribution across Japan and Asia.

History

In 1953, Bill Samuels Sr. ditched the family's old rye recipe and designed a new bourbon on a softer wheat recipe. The 'Maker's Mark' name and the hand-dipped red wax were the work of his wife, Margie Samuels, and the first bottle appeared in 1958. It has since held a distinct place among Kentucky bourbons for design and consistency.

How It’s Drunk

In Korea, Maker's Mark is one of the bourbons you reliably see in bars and shops. The soft sweetness wheat brings makes it popular as an entry bourbon and a cocktail or highball base, and the red-wax bottle is a frequent gift. It suits those who prefer something rounder and sweeter over a spicy rye bourbon.

◆The Right GlassSignature

Soft and sweet, it works broadly on the rocks, as a highball or as a cocktail base. The Original opens slowly over a single large ice cube or mixes well with soda, while richer, higher-proof expressions like the 46 and Cask Strength show clearer caramel and oak neat in a Glencairn.

→ The on-the-rocks glass → The science of the highball