If standard Maker’s is the friendly one, Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength is its bolder, more intense sibling. It takes the wheated Maker’s recipe, finishes it with seared French oak staves, and then bottles it uncut at full cask strength. It lives on our West Seattle shelf for the drinker who wants all the caramel and oak turned up loud, without losing the soft wheated core underneath.
About the Distillery
Like the original, Maker’s Mark 46 comes from the distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. The “46” line grew out of the distillery’s experiments with finishing staves, and the cask strength edition is the most powerful expression of that idea, bottled straight from the barrel at its natural, undiluted proof.
Style & Mash Bill
This is a wheated Kentucky straight bourbon, built on the same soft-red-winter-wheat mash bill as classic Maker’s Mark. The difference is in the finishing: ten seared virgin French oak staves are added to each barrel and the bourbon rests on them for roughly nine weeks in the limestone cellar. It is then bottled at cask strength, commonly around 110 proof (about 55% ABV), with the exact proof varying by batch.
Tasting Notes
The nose is rich with soft caramel, strong vanilla, and baking spice, plus well-integrated fig and cherry. The palate hits with heavy oak, rich caramel, vanilla, and dark dried fruit, turning spice-forward with white pepper, cinnamon, and allspice from the French oak. The finish is long, warm, and deeply oaky.
How to Enjoy It at Camp West
We pour Maker’s Mark 46 Cask Strength at $20. Given the proof, we suggest starting neat to take its full measure, then adding a few drops of water or a single rock to open up the fruit and tame the heat. It can carry a robust Old Fashioned, but a bottle this expressive truly shines on its own.
FAQ
What are the seared French oak staves? Ten toasted virgin French oak staves are inserted into the barrel for added finishing, layering in extra caramel, spice, and dark-fruit depth.
Why is it so high proof? It is bottled at cask strength, meaning uncut and undiluted straight from the barrel, typically around 110 proof, which intensifies every flavor.
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