Review #677 - Maker's Mark Lost Recipe Edition 02 (2025)
Maker's Mark Lost Recipe series is a relatively new set of releases - the first arrived in 2024. Maker's Mark is known for their experimentation with finishing staves in their wheated bourbons; these Lost Recipe releases revolve around the use of stave combinations that haven't been tried before. Here we have the 2025 release, or Edition 02, which focuses on the Mocha archived stave.
Each Maker's stave recipe uses 10 staves for finishing; the specific combination for this year's release is 3 Baked American Pure 2 staves, 4 Maker's Mark 46 staves, and 3 Roasted French Mocha staves (no Seared French Cuvee or Toasted French Spice staves). With the focus on the Mocha staves, the distillery suggests that we should see flavors like dark chocolate, pastry, and baked orchard fruit.
Like most Maker's Mark products, this Kentucky bourbon doesn't have an age statement; we do know, though, that it's bottled at a punchy strength of 55.45% ABV (110.9 proof), which should give us plenty of flavor.
Maker's Mark Lost Recipe Edition 02 (2025)
USA - Bourbon
Price: USD 65 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 55.45% ABV
Details: Bottled 2025
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 90% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Cinnamon on toast, with some light creamy notes like coconut and vanilla. It leans sweet overall; some darker sweetness like brown sugar and even rum build with time.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; we get plenty of cherry, both chocolate-covered cherry and a medicinal cherry cough syrup. It's dark, sweet, and juicy; vanilla builds in strength, and toasted coconut returns from the nose.
Finish: Vanilla and cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, milk chocolate - a lot of baking notes in the finish. Oak does build with time, bringing a peppery side, and we get some hot cocoa powder in the aftertaste. It's a warm, medium-long finish.
Final Note: We enjoyed this Lost Recipe 02 from Maker's Mark quite a bit. The strength is just right - strong enough to deliver a lot of flavor, but not so hot that it burns too much. The flavor profile was unique, one we haven't seen from Maker's too often; we really enjoyed those chocolate notes in the palate and finish, especially when combined with the creamy vanilla and coconut.
Really nice bourbon, and one that's even better considering the fair price, which seems to be about $65 in most places. This is a great value bottle, one we're happy to recommend, and one we'll try to back up ourselves before it's gone.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.46
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
