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The Scotchy Bourbon Boys conduct a blind tasting of three years of Maker's Mark Cellar Age releases to determine which vintage delivers the most exceptional flavor profile. Our expectations are completely overturned when the 2024 release unanimously wins with its stunning caramel, cherry, vanilla, and apple notes, scoring a perfect 19/18 on our rating scale.
• We discuss our recent barrel selection experience at Maker's Mark with Rob Samuels
• Rob Samuels explains how Maker's created their innovative limestone cellar for aging bourbon beyond 10 years without bitterness
• Each Cellar Age release features different compositions: 2023 (11 & 12-year), 2024 (12 & 13-year), and 2025 (11, 13 & 14-year)
• Tasting reveals the 2024 Cellar Age (119.3 proof) as our favorite with exceptional caramel, toffee, cherry, and apple notes
• We explore how wheat whiskey changes dramatically when bottles remain open, with flavors evolving and improving over time
• The newest 2025 release shows more oak influence, which divides opinions among tasters
• We compare our Cellar Age findings with a fresh Kentucky Bourbon Festival private select with a chocolatey stave profile
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What happens when wheat whiskey ages for over a decade in a revolutionary limestone cellar? We found out in our most revealing blind tasting yet.
Tonight, we journey through time with all three releases of Maker's Mark Cellar Age – the limited edition series that challenged everything we thought we knew about aging wheated bourbon. After visiting Maker's Mark and spending time with Rob Samuels, we gained a deeper appreciation for how this historic distillery is pushing boundaries while honoring tradition.
The Cellar Age concept is fascinating – taking fully matured Maker's Mark and transferring it to a climate-controlled limestone cellar where it can develop complexity without acquiring bitterness. Each annual release features a unique blend of well-aged whiskeys: 2023 combines 11 and 12-year bourbon, 2024 features 12 and 13-year, while 2025 incorporates three different ages including their first-ever 14-year component.
Our blind tasting delivered shocking results that completely upended our expectations. The winner wasn't what any of us predicted, showcasing notes of burnt caramel, toffee, dark cherry, and what we can only describe as an "apple caramel extravaganza." One sample was so impressive it scored a perfect 19/18 on our rating scale – something that's never happened before.
We also discovered how dramatically these wheated expressions evolve once opened. As one host explains, "Wheat is a much finer, softer, more impressionable grain," making these bottles living entities that transform over months. The bottle that had been open longest revealed how these expressions hit their peak and then subtly shift toward oakier profiles.
Whether you're a devoted Maker's Mark fan or simply curious about how wheat whiskey develops with extended aging, this episode offers rare insights into one of bourbon's most innovative modern experiments. Subscribe now and join us next week when we explore Maker's Mark Star Hill Farm Wheat Whiskey!

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