Episode 136 - Maker’s Mark 101

Maker’s Mark 101 sounds like a tiny step on paper, but that extra proof and extra $10 can mean very different things depending on how you actually drink bourbon. We break down the Maker’s Mark mash bill (yes, Tony knows it by heart), talk about why a wheated bourbon tastes so sweet and smooth, and explain how the standard 90 proof, Maker’s Mark 101, and Maker’s Mark Cask Strength are more alike than most people realize. If you’ve ever wondered whether “higher proof” automatically means “better,” we put that assumption to the test with real tasting and real-world buying logic. 

Then the conversation takes a left turn into a genuinely fun piece of Maker’s Mark lore: Tony pulls up his old Maker’s Mark Ambassador info and we react in real time to the barrel details, the age, and the absurdity of having your name tied to a barrel from years ago. It’s part whiskey nerd curiosity, part friendship roast, and a reminder that bourbon culture can be both serious and ridiculous. 

Finally, we get practical. We taste Maker’s Mark 101 for notes like caramel, vanilla, honey, light oak, and that signature wheated sweetness, and we argue about the finish and whether it disappears too fast. We also dig into the “best whiskey for Coke” debate, where bottles like Jim Beam, Woodford Reserve, Bulleit, Elijah Craig, and Buffalo Trace show up for very different reasons. If you want a dependable bourbon review, cocktail guidance, and a clear verdict on whether Maker’s Mark 101 is worth it, this one delivers. Subscribe, share the episode with a whiskey friend, and leave a rating or review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Opening Lyrics And Mood

SPEAKER_03 0:01

This day you're only young. You don't want forever, but your bed sleeper on all you can. If life is only bigger, don't know everything, but it'd rather spend it holding your hand. Things move fast, we can't know how in the how it all happens.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Waiting for it to really kick. Is it this? Mike and

Max McNown And Feeling Young

SPEAKER_02 0:35

Tony. I do have ideas. New country at its best. New country, also known by the name of Max McNown. Max McNown. He sounds like he's between 12 and 18.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Uh he's older than that because he's born in 2001. But not by much. So what's that put him at? 25. Yeah. That was an easy math math one. Yeah, you know, it's funny. I was.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Don't give me any hard ones.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

No, I was doing because my son baseball team this year. He had five 2021s on his team, and he's born in 2007. College athletics. That's why they changed the rule. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Think about that. Those young kids must be good. Anyway. Ah, good. You just try to find a spot.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

You're starting dealing with 24 and 25 year olds. Shit.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Hey.

Maker’s Mash Bill By Heart

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Does anyone know that it's Tony's birthday? Just kidding. It's not Tony's birthday, but it's almost like it is because we're doing a maker's mark product. Oh, that was how much Tony knows about makersmark? I go, oh hey. So when we prepare for this one, what's the mash bill? And Tony goes, Well, uh, I don't need to look it up. I know, I know that by heart. What? You know the makersmark mash bill by heart? Does anyone put it in the comments? Tell us. Does anyone else have it? 70, 16, 14. That makes it kind of easy. The 70 makes it, you know, a little bit easier.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

It's like dealing with the old Forester, like the Row series. They're all the same, also. What are those? Uh 74, uh, 14, um, 12. Guys, is that equal 100? It does! It's different though, because the second, uh, the second is a um rye, and this is a wheat. So this is the red winter wheat.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

So thanks for talking about the winter wheat. We'll we'll hopefully not get to that later. Guys, here's what we're doing. So you you know the standard makers mark. We're only stepping it up one small little notch to the makersmark 101. The cool thing about makersmark 101 is back in the day, grandpa Bill Samuels Sr. just liked his whiskey at a little higher proof. So we had him, you know, either just probably leave a little water out of it, proof it up from the standard makersmark proof, which is Tony. What did I just say?

SPEAKER_01 3:15

70, 16, 14. No, the proof. Oh, the proof is 90, the normal one. Okay. Sorry.

SPEAKER_02 3:20

90.5 or something.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

No, no, no, no. 90 even.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Okay, just close. Testing.

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Close. Anyway, I was looking up Redwinter Wheat, some characteristics, and he caught me off guard there.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

So Bill Samuels wanted a night another 11 proof, you know, tipping back in his rocking chair. This is all made up by me. I just pictured that he's on a porch somewhere in Kentucky. It's probably long past. Uh but and he's just like, hey, I want something with a little bit more, a little bit more proof. So let's go 101 instead of 90. And that's where makers mark 101 special proof, they call it, came from. Yeah. So in my eyes, I'm kind of like, uh, we haven't drank anything cheaper. We were like less aged, but we have. And Tony's gonna keep keep saying we have. If you remember back to the wild turkey one-on-one, oh, we've got a lot of things. That was my birthday when we drank that. Oh, that's so good. So that's a classic, too.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

No, so the difference between, I mean, the main the main difference between makers mark standard, 90 proof, makers mark 101, and makers mark cast strength. They're identical. Everything, it's the same mash bill, they're all the same age. They are different prices. The standard, you know, different proof, different price. That's different proof, different price. Proof 90 for regular makers, you get it about 28 bucks. Makers Mark 101, it's obviously 101, and you get it for $38, $10 more. Makers Mark Cast strength, it varies between 108 and 115, and you get it for 48 bucks. So those are the differences. I mean, there's I mean, you can compare everything from everything about makers is so similar. It just has to do the big changes, it has to do with how long it's in the barrel, the temperature in the barrel, like when you start doing the cast strength, and they start not the cast strength, the um cellar aged, where they start, you know, they put them in the cellar where they're where they're cooling it. You know, they're mixing two different brands. And then the other thing they do is they add staves when you get to the 46 stuff.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

So, but the three standards uh are all the same. Uh mash bill, all the same.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

For those three, mash bill, age, proof is different. And the proof is different. Yeah, mash bill and age are all the same, and which is the which is the the core of Maker's Mark, honestly. Um, actually, all of Maker's Mark is the same mash bill. It doesn't matter what it is, but when you start getting to seller proof and some of the private selections, and they're of different ages, obviously. Those three all have the same six-year age, so a lot of the other ones will have more.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

I mean, as simple and as basic as this is, I mean, did did everyone just learn something and kind of like have their interest peaked a little bit? Good. Cause because I did too. I I I think that's that's like the basics of Maker's Mark is pretty cool. Um

The Ambassador Barrel Rabbit Hole

SPEAKER_02 6:12

Tony, by the way, is uh is an ambassador there, and he hasn't gone back in a while. And he's like, I still have a barrel there. I had my name's on a barrel. And I go, No, you don't. I do. And he's I'm like, I'm like, how old is that barrel? He's like, Oh, well, they they probably got rid of it. I was like, wait, so you don't have a barrel. I'm gonna look it up.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

I bet if I go to their website, I can figure out. You can look yourself up on their website, yeah, dude. I'm like an old ambassador from 20 plus years ago.

SPEAKER_02 6:39

Jeez, what a year. Dude, I get a Christmas present from them.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

It's hilarious.

SPEAKER_02 6:43

That is a stupid little thing from them. He gets like a Christmas ornament. He brings it and he's like, Can we hang this somewhere? I'm like, we can hang it right on the garbage can, right over there. That little piece. No, remember?

SPEAKER_01 6:53

I got the earmuffs one year for the bottle. I've got those are kind of cool. I've got the hat, the stocking hat, I've got special layers. I get all kinds of stupid.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

I got a puzzle. I just found it when I moved. You almost said the keyword. Stupid shit. Oh, yeah. Keywords. Um, yeah. So that is uh I can't believe you didn't know that. But we haven't gone to Makersmark together. We have not. You obviously haven't gone there at all. And you went there and became an ambassador many, many years ago. And I mean, probably it's probably one of the more probably is that third in line to marriage and kids.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

No, I don't you can't put that high, but it I mean, I I like Makers Mark.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

Friends with me and then Makers Mark Ambassador is fourth. Maybe Friends with Me, the podcast, and Makers Mark Ambassador is fifth. Okay, I'll stop.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

I'm trying to log in right now. I'll let you know if you can get a bit.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

Yeah, yeah, we'll get there. So um, we know enough about it. Here it comes. Um, and I guess we just have to like go into I'm sorry, I've never really I just pour makers mark in with my Diet Coke.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

My barrel was created on April 1st, 2005.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

Wow, dude, that's just over uh 21 years ago. Imagine if they still had that.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Barrel number 6914 or 1614. 21 years, two months old. It says they still have it. Uh, this barrel is made seasoned eight to twelve barrels. No, I mean I have all the information. It was seasoned for eight to twelve months. The barrel was charred to a level three. Wait, so it's an eight in the it was eight. It was it's the barrel's age is 21 years and two months, and I have no idea. Totally. I didn't buy the barrel, I just put my name on it. That's why I'm sure they sold it. Can you buy it? I don't know, it'd be sweet.

SPEAKER_02 8:43

Oh my god, if that's sitting around.

SPEAKER_01 8:45

Should I reach out? I should reach out to him.

SPEAKER_02 8:46

Yes, 100%. You should reach out now. So um let's taste our maker's mark 101.

First Sip Of Maker’s 101

SPEAKER_02 8:53

I can't believe it. Happy birthday, Tony, even though it's not your birthday. Uh let's give this a whirl. And a swirl.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

We gotta smell it first. Because it smells. Oh, I skipped that. You did, and it smells just like all makers. I mean, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 9:09

Jeez, the taste is kind of kinda good.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

All makers are really good. I should, I should. You know, I don't know who owns them now.

SPEAKER_02 9:20

No, um, right. Kind of a standard, like not a ton there. Um getting some like alcohol. Um kind of like a little caramel though. Yeah. Kind of like a like a candy, and just like crazy, it's just like sweet blast sweetness. Like But I feel like that 101. Here's what I want to do. I want to take, what's his name again? Uh Bill Samuels. I want to take his 11 proof ad 90 to 101, and I want to go another 11. I want to go 112. 112. Which I guess then I just need to buy the cast strength.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Yeah, I was gonna say the cast strength is is like what 101.113 and a half.

SPEAKER_02 10:25

Yeah. I think they're that's it. Do we have to cheers again to taste it? Because I already tasted it.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

Let's go just because we can make a hard tank. This room, I think it echoes better in here. I think we said that last time. It's pretty good. Better acoustics.

SPEAKER_02 10:40

I would say makers claim to fame is what it tastes like. Dude, it's a good thing. What it tastes like when you're 70 plus I would say it tastes better than it smells. Um best part of it for me is it does have a little oakiness. It does have a lot of sweetness. It's got like a little um toasty um kind of like sweet butterscotch. My negative is that it's gone.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Once it's once once the the the finish, I would say this is a it's definitely got a like a mellow to medium finish. I mean, it's not there much. There's I mean, there's no rye in this, and it's it's I think you can get a little bit of leather if you try at the very end, but you have to like work at it to get it. I mean, to me, it's just I don't like working at it. Yeah, but you, I mean, like you gotta really be thinking about different different flavor profiles to try to get something out of it. To me, it's just a sweet vanilla, caramel, honey. It's just got like that, which is that that wheat character of sweetness, and then it's just got like a gentle oak and it just goes away quick. It's probably why it's so good in a mixer. I don't know. The 101 is similar to me, it's the same thing, maybe just got a little bit more flavor profile up front.

Best Whiskey Mixer Arguments

SPEAKER_02 12:05

What's uh what's second place in the way of mixing a whiskey for like a like a standard cocktail for you?

SPEAKER_01 12:13

For me or in general, like for what other people like.

SPEAKER_02 12:16

Who cares about in general?

SPEAKER_01 12:17

You um, I usually stay with the wheats, so I usually try to go to a larceny. Because I like the wheaters, I like the sweeter ones. A lot of people, I feel like if you were asking other people, I'm I'm gonna say you're gonna get a lot of bullet.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

Um I think Elijah Crown I would think of right away.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Well, Jim and Jack, but I don't count those guys. Jim, Jack, Jack's poison and crown.

SPEAKER_02 12:42

Jim, Jack, and Crown.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

Okay, so none of those are good. Okay, well, Jim's okay. Jack is a is a Tennessee whiskey that's poison. Dude and and Crown is Especially though it is it is a bourbon. It's a Canadian whiskey. It's not even it's I'll give you Jim kinda. I'm not giving you the other ones. Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_02 13:01

So though, so top ten, uh, they're not even like those two like fall way off. I bet Jim. I think a jack and coke is fucking delicious.

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Yeah, but it's it's not, it's so much harsher, so much sharper than a than a bourbon and coke. So much sharper. The Tennessee, in my opinion, that Tennessee charcoal filtering sucks so much of the um, it's very earthy. It's different. And it's really really uh really young. I think we should do we can do a little taste test on this in here. We could do this. I don't even know we have any jack in here. We probably threw it all. Crown, Jack, Jim, we have Jim.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

Makers.

SPEAKER_01 13:41

Crown. I don't know. I know we don't have any crown here. I have some at home we can bring. I have one buddy that loves crown, so I keep it at my house for him.

SPEAKER_02 13:48

My uh father-in-law loves crown, so that's why I was thinking about it because uh I bought him some for my daughter's uh graduation uh a couple weeks ago, and I was like, I'm with you. I kind of didn't like it, but I'm so used to makers where it's kind of like when I've tried to introduce makers to him, he's like, I think it kind of like is just a little like the it falls short. It's I would say if you're there's not that extra of your real Jack and Crown have a have just like an added flavor that you just once you get into, you're just you either like it or you don't.

SPEAKER_01 14:23

It's like rum. Yeah, I would tell you that uh the bourbon mixers, Jim and Coke has got to be the number one because Jim's the number one selling Jim Beam's the number one selling bourbon in the world. That would be my opinion. Number two, I would say, is probably makers and coke. And then I would say you probably have a lot of Woodford and Coke. I you have a lot of Woodford people out there that love Woodford. I think you get bullet in there is pretty high. And then if you you know, then you start getting to the larcenies, the Elijah Craig, the Evan Williams, you know, kind of the some of the bar, you know, whatever's standard in the bar. The Buffalo Trace used to be big, but Buffalo Trace is now people consider it like premium, even though it's the same price as makers. Because it's harder to get.

SPEAKER_02 15:06

I wonder which um Jack Daniels is the best selling American whiskey, and Jim Beam is the best selling bourbon. Uh, I wonder how they differ. Because I feel like that's that's definitely crazy area related. Some places are um obviously Kentucky and surrounding, um, they're probably, as you just said, beam and makers. Um, but certain places, I mean, college towns or wherever you're at. I mean, I feel like Jack is way up there for you to put Jack down and not in I just don't put it with bourbon, I call it whiskey. It's a whiskey. No, I meant like in in in consumption.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

In just oh, in consumption, it's probably number two. One, one or two. Yeah. Because I mean, Jack and Jim are the two big bourbon and whiskey. I mean, they're the two number ones in the world. I mean, Jack's the number one selling whiskey in the world, right? I mean, I think by a lot, like not even close.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Yeah, and that's n kind of not what you were saying. No, I'm kind of well, I'm I'm you and bourbons only. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

Because I I don't know my Irish whiskeys and stuff, and I know if you go to that part of the world, there's you know, there's a lot of people that mix the Jamesons with different things too. We just don't really do that much here.

SPEAKER_02 16:24

Yeah, I

Indian Whiskey And Loose Standards

SPEAKER_02 16:25

was just listening to something about um what makes uh Indian whiskey uh whiskey and how much they're drinking over there, and just I mean, just based on numbers and population, it's fucking staggering. And the stuff they're they're drinking is not it's not good. It's like a lot of 80-proof stuff, too, right? No, it's not forget the proof. It's like what is actually in the bottle. Let's go back like pre-prohibition here, where you could like literally put any additive color-wise or flavor-wise into something, and the one that is they call themselves a whiskey however they want, and there's nothing. Uh, Fred Minnick was talking about it, nothing about it in our standards is a whiskey, and people that's the number one bestseller. Imagine if Jack Daniels or something like that, the best seller, you were just like, Okay, it's not even grains and water, it's like additives and flavors. It sounds like something that Americans would actually really like.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

I mean, but the way all the flavor flavor profiles with all the um, you know, with all the drinks, the surf sides and and all of those. There's so many different flavor drinks now that I I agree with you. That does sound like something people would really like.

SPEAKER_02 17:42

Yeah. All right, so you first.

Ratings And Buying Advice

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Me first.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

Give me a number, give me a sip rating, all at once. Shareable, absolutely, influence out of the world for me, plus plus price.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

Um really have to go through the shit. I don't know. Like literally is break records for a Kentucky guy that has shared more makers with other people in the state of Illinois for like a decade. A long time. Yeah. If there was a chart that was like this guy put you know who has that chart?

SPEAKER_01 18:16

Benny's. If you pipe in my Benny's number, they have that chart.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

I can't even imagine. Um, anyway, uh your wife would be like, we could have had uh we're not gonna bring in we could have had nine kids or the four based on your makers consumption and sales. Sometimes that all correlates.

SPEAKER_01 18:38

But I would tell you price-wise, I'm not sure if the 101 is worth the extra 10 bucks. I think the regular makers is just so good. I would give this a two or two and a half. I this is a standard bourbon to me that you mix that is fantastic. Maybe a two and five eighths. I'm not going crazy with it.

SPEAKER_02 18:55

This is a standard bourbon, a really good standard bourbon. In a boring way, can't disagree with anything the man of makers uh says two and a half. Um share the heck out of it. Really cool, long, long time brand. Red wax, dip in red wax, and they do that on every single bottle for ever.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

70 plus years.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

70 plus years, it's like, what the fuck? That's amazing. Um, so I'm right with Tony. Locks up everything he said.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

I mean, I I just don't I don't think you can put a big number on this because, in my opinion, it's it's a standard bourbon. This is I mean, the 101 is slightly better if you're gonna be drinking it on the rocks, but for me, I love my makers in regular Coke or Coke Zero. And I don't think I would notice much difference beside in a 101 or a 90 in my in my mixing drink.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Not not not in a million years. You you wouldn't, I wouldn't. I mean, if you can once it's mixed, it's like you'd have to be some.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

I mean, I would tell you to try it. Maybe I'm wrong. If you're somebody that drinks makers on the rocks, maybe try it. It it does have some some uh the flavor profile on the on the taste is definitely uh more. It's definitely more abundant. Step it up. Yeah, step it up. It's I mean, especially if you find it on sale and you spend you know five bucks more for it, it's worth doing it. But I I just don't think this is something you need to go out and search for. That's a good call, too.

SPEAKER_02 20:15

Maybe maybe you go and the 101's on sale and you're like, all right, I'll pick it up and try it. Try that with your ice instead.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

Yeah, you you might really like it. All right, what are we going out on? I'm going

Outro Song And Holiday Plans

SPEAKER_01 20:26

out with some Jordan Davis. The reason I am is because I'm going to see him in uh Missoula, Montana later in July. So I'm pretty excited for it.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Uh he was here in uh some far-off western suburb, I think like Sandwich, Illinois. I don't know. Oh really? But uh he was here last last maybe it wasn't Sandwich, maybe it was like uh DeCalb or something, something west. Yeah. Um, but he's great.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Let's get a lot of stuff. Let's go. I'm just gonna play his newest song, and you know, well, we're gonna go out to that. But I I'm uh I'm excited for the show. It'll be fun. I'm heading out there for a little vacation. My sister lives in Missoula, so this will be a fun, fun evening out. Sounds fun. Turn this truck around. Jordan Davis.

SPEAKER_02 21:16

Mike and Tony. We take care of the whiskey so you can focus on with whom you share it. Baker's Mark 101, the special proof, as they call it. Oh man.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

They don't do anything wrong over there. I mean, it's consistent. I don't know how else to say it. It's really consistent.

SPEAKER_02 21:37

In your life and in your lifestyle. And is there I mean, I won't even go there. I was gonna say, is there anything more consistent in your life, but sure. Tony is the man of consistency. So wrong question to ask. Uh good hanging with you, dude. Good thinking, makers mark, as usual. Have a great fourth if I don't see you. Happy fourth of July, 250th.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Yeah, it'd be fun. See you guys.

SPEAKER_03 22:06

Don't make me turn it on.