Review #710 - Maker's Mark The Heart Release 2024
The Wood Finishing Series from Maker's Mark has a number of different releases at this point: annual editions of The Keeper's Release and The Heart Release currently, as well as previous releases like BEP, FAE, BRT, and more. Maker's is known for their use of finishing staves to add extra oak complexity to their bourbon; this 2024 edition of The Heart Release uses 10 French oak staves.
One great thing about these limited releases from Maker's Mark is the pricing - generally, these are available is a lot of markets for $60 to $75. With that sort of pricing, this has the potential to be a bargain - let's see how the flavors stack up.
Maker's Mark The Heart Release 2024
USA - Bourbon
Price: USD 75 (2025)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 56% ABV
Details: Bottled 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 4 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Lots of oak notes, especially toasted oak, but also cinnamon, vanilla, and toasted sugars. There's a soft spirit or ethanol note from the strength; sweet flavors of chocolate, caramel, and soda arrive. Oak notes continue to grow, and we get an accent of dried grass.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; there's nice spicy oak up front, some toasted notes, cinnamon and vanilla. A bit of a classic wheater profile; sweetness again comes from caramel, some bruleed sugar, and there's a hint of dark cola behind that. Softer notes like wheat grain and hay arrive as well.
Finish: Vanilla, mellow oak, again more cinnamon, almost cinnamon oatmeal. It takes on a creamy side along with the toasted notes, and the aftertaste brings an interesting combination of anise, dried grass, lavender, and cola. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This is a pleasant, if slightly subtle and simple release from Maker's Mark. The higher strength does mean that the flavors have a nice density; we found that this was dominated by two flavors for us, toasted oak and cinnamon spice. There were nice hints of sweetness from baking flavors, and overall, it has a nice balance.
Value is decent here, maybe about average. While we enjoyed this release, we think there are a few other bottles from Maker's Mark that offer either slightly better value, or more flavor and complexity.
Our Average Rating: 6.7 / 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: 6.32
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.
