Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series The Stewards Release
Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series The Stewards Release
Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series The Stewards Release is available at Gifted Pour, your destination for sought-after and limited bourbon expressions delivered fast and reliably. This special release represents a distinct chapter in Maker's Mark's ongoing exploration of secondary wood maturation.
The Wood Finishing Series was born from Maker's Mark's commitment to pushing the boundaries of their iconic wheated bourbon mash bill. Each release in the series takes fully matured Maker's Mark and immerses it in custom-designed wood stave configurations during a secondary finishing period. The Stewards Release reflects input from Maker's Mark's Ambassador Stewards program — a global community of brand devotees who participated in shaping the final stave blend. The result is a limited expression that bridges the distillery's signature soft wheat character with new layers of complexity drawn from toasted and charred wood interactions.
Best enjoyed neat or on a single large ice cube to allow the finishing notes to fully open up, though it also brings exceptional depth to a classic Old Fashioned or Manhattan. This is a bottle that rewards slow sipping and return visits.
Shop Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series The Stewards Release at Gifted Pour and explore our full collection of limited and allocated bourbon expressions.
Tasting Notes
Shipping
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Manufacturing
Our products are manufactured both locally and globally. We carefully select our manufacturing partners to ensure our products are high quality and a fair value.
Why Gifted Pour recommends it
For the bourbon lover who already knows Maker's Mark, this bottle offers a thoughtful next step. It starts with fully matured Maker's Mark, built on a corn-dominant mash bill with red winter wheat, then rests it through a secondary finishing period with custom wood staves. The brand's Ambassador Stewards community helped shape that stave blend. That story makes it a meaningful gift for a longtime fan, a mentor, or someone marking a promotion or retirement. In the glass, rich caramel and toasted vanilla lead, followed by brown sugar, cinnamon, and dark cherry. Toasted oak and a light mocha note add structure without crowding the soft wheat sweetness. The finish lingers with vanilla and a faint spice trail. Suggest the recipient pour it neat and let it rest a few minutes, or over a single large cube, and save a pour for an Old Fashioned or Manhattan. It is a limited expression that rewards slow sipping and return visits.
Pairs well with
- Pecan pie — The pie's brown sugar and toasted nut flavors echo the bourbon's caramel, brown sugar, and toasted oak.
- Dark chocolate with cherries — The whiskey's light mocha note and dark cherry on the palate line up neatly with both.
- Promotion or retirement gift — A finishing story shaped by the brand's own devotees makes a considered toast to a career milestone, best enjoyed slowly and neat.
Questions about this bottle
How is The Stewards Release different from standard Maker's Mark?
It takes fully matured Maker's Mark and gives it a secondary finishing period with custom-designed wood stave configurations. Members of the Ambassador Stewards program helped shape the final stave blend. The finishing adds toasted oak tannins and a light mocha note on top of the familiar soft wheat sweetness.
What does it taste like?
Expect caramel and toasted vanilla on the nose with baking spice and a hint of dried fruit. The palate brings wheat sweetness layered with brown sugar, cinnamon, and dark cherry, plus toasted oak and mocha. The finish is medium-long, with vanilla, toasted oak, and a faint spice trail.
What is this bourbon made from?
It is a Kentucky bourbon from Maker's Mark Distillery, made from a corn-dominant mash bill with red winter wheat in place of the more common rye. That wheated base gives it a soft, rounded character that the wood finishing builds on.
What is the best way to drink it?
Pour it neat into a Glencairn or rocks glass and let it rest a few minutes so the finishing notes open up, or serve it over a single large ice cube. It also works well in a classic Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, or a Whiskey Sour.
