Maker’s Mark FAE-02 Wheated Bourbon Whiskey
I got to try this as part of TIMBWeekend 2022 (TIMBP = This Is My Bourbon Podcast), and I gotta tell you it was a good thing I tried it and made notes at the beginning of the first bottle share. There were a lot of things tasted that night, and I feel like it’s easy for a wheated bourbon - even a Maker’s, if that means anything - to get lost in a sea of cask strength whiskies.
What a weekend…
ANYWAY.
Maker’s Mark FAE-02 is the second of the 2021 special releases and part of the third year in which Maker’s Mark puts out their own Maker’s 46-like product. The first two years, RC6 (2019) and SE4PR5 (2020) had their own stave makeups with some special treatment, and FAE-01 was no different.
FAE-o1 took French Oak staves and seared one side, leaving one side effectively “cooked” and the other side raw. With Maker’s Mark FAE-02, those same French Oak staves were double heat-treated, first with infrared then with direct flame.
In an interesting twist, while Maker’s clearly meant these two to be part of a series showcasing the French Oak staves, you’d be hard pressed to see them as related beyond those same staves being used. Raw wood, even seasoned, is much different than double-cooked wood. According to Maker’s Mark, the idea is that the infrared heat brought out more caramel notes while the direct flame generated more vanillins from the lignins being charred. Even the coffee notes were different, the FAE-01 showcasing low-key espresso to boost the chocolate and cascara fruit; FAE-02 was roasted coffee beans and less chocolate (though still more than the everyday Maker’s).
I got minimal vanilla or caramel notes from this, no more than you’d find on any other bourbon or wheater, but I did get quite a bit more chocolate than the usual Maker’s Mark and that roasted coffee, a new profile for me in a Maker’s that likely came from that toasting…err, infrared treatment.
I’ll also say this: at first, I thought I liked this more than the FAE-01, until I looked back at my notes. That one was also a chocolate bomb, and it took the edge over the FAE-02 mainly in the powerful flavors. Where the FAE-01 is a blast, the FAE-02 is nuanced and fruitier, with a chocolate undertone and roasted coffee background. The nose also undermines this pour a bit, staying just meh throughout the tasting.
Maker’s Mark isn’t afraid to try out new profiles, and I applaud them for that. They did the same thing for half a century and were just fine, so the experimentation is both fun and superfluous, in the best way.
Maker’s Mark FAE-02 Wheated Bourbon Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Maker’s Mark Distillery
Mashbill: 70% Corn, 16% Wheat, 14% Malted Barley
Proof: 109.1 (54.55% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Kentucky
Maker’s Mark FAE-02 Wheated Bourbon Whiskey Price: $229
Maker’s Mark FAE-02 Wheated Bourbon Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Light amber.
Nose: A bit dusty, tight and meh throughout. It smells like a basic Maker’s profile, but with more grain up front. Strawberry and grape Nerds candies, sweet and tart. Creamy lemon evolves in the background. Light caramel just turning. The flavors are quite nice, but muted.
Palate: Soft wheat with a bit of heat, oak creaminess coating my tongue. Roasted coffee and dried apricots. Mouthfeel is silky, light to medium, settling in the corners of my mouth. Milk chocolate, roasted staves without being woody, becoming creamier with the chew.
Finish: Fruity and astringent, hitting the back of the throat with milk chocolate-covered sultanas and an old cinnamon stick.
Overall: The nose was meh, but the palate and finish pick up a solid wheater profile. Enjoyable and an easy sipper, if not up to the mark of FAE-01.
Final Rating: 6.8
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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