In 2023, Maker’s Mark surprised bourbon enthusiasts by releasing its first age-stated bourbon whiskey, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged. Unlike other whiskeys — which are usually aged in warehouses — the Cellar Aged bottlings spend around half of their maturation cycle aging in Maker’s Mark’s limestone cellar.
Now, as Food & Wine reports, the Cellar Aged series is returning this September with Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025, a blend of 11-, 13-, and 14-year-old whiskeys.
Cellar aging is extremely rare for American whiskey, but Maker’s Mark has never approached barrel maturation in the same way as its contemporaries. The Loretto, Kentucky–based distillery is one of only a few producers that undertakes the labor-intensive process of rotating barrels, which calls for swapping barrels from the highest and lowest parts of a warehouse once during each barrel’s lifetime.
Maker’s Mark ages to taste, and until 2023, none of its bottled bourbons had an age statement. Barrels are typically pulled from the warehouse for bottling between six and eight years of age, when the whiskey has picked up just the right amount of barrel influence to be blended into one of the distillery’s expressions.
“Aged to taste, for us, means a full spectrum of flavor from the oak, but in harmony with the grain and yeast,” says Dr. Blake Layfield, master distiller and head of innovation and blending at Maker’s Mark. The team at Maker’s Mark often underscores the vision that founder Bill Samuels Sr. had for its spirits’ taste. This ideal flavor profile is described by Bill Sr.’s grandson and eighth-generation distiller Rob Samuels as a “rich, creamy, balanced, and full-flavored bourbon.”
When Maker’s Mark built its limestone cellar in 2016, the distillery created an environment that gave it unprecedented control over the barrel maturation process, allowing it to continue aging bourbon without acquiring the oaky, tannic notes often associated with a heavily aged whiskey — the very qualities the distillery has spent more than 70 years trying to avoid.
“Cellar Aged was not a guaranteed thing,” explains Beth Buckner, lead blender and senior manager of innovation and blending at the brand. “It came out of the question of whether or not we could make an older Maker’s Mark that held true to the founder’s vision.” The resulting Cellar Aged series was a success, showcasing a deeper, richer, and more complex expression of Maker’s Mark’s wheated whiskey without astringency or bitterness.
The new 2025 Cellar Aged expression continues to expand on how far Maker’s Mark can push the boundaries of Bill Samuels’ vision.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025 is a blend of 74% 11-year-old, 10% 13-year-old, and 16% 14-year-old bourbons, bottled at 56.45% ABV (112.9 proof). The whiskey is rich and balanced — it drinks more easily than its proof might suggest — and settles into a refined finish.
Its nose carries deep aromas of dark brown sugar and baked apple. On the palate, layers of creamy fudge, toasted almond, and spiced apple unfold, accented by lingering notes of citrus zest, nutmeg, and warm cinnamon.
Layfield details that “We’re not trying to make [Cellar Aged] the same every year. Not every barrel lives the same life. We’re showing how the cellar can stretch the bourbon every year.” The dark, orchard fruit character clearly sets the 2025 expression apart from its predecessors while maintaining the same richness and quality.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025 will become available exclusively at the distillery’s in-person gift shop on September 5 before witnessing a wider release nationwide beginning in mid-September. The exact number of bottles that will be up for grabs is undisclosed, but the release is limited. With the 2025 expression containing some of the oldest whiskey Maker’s Mark has ever produced, it’s sure to be highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors alike.
—
Photo Credit: Dmitry Melnikov / Shutterstock.com