“Our job is pretty simple: make the whiskey, make sure it looks good, and that it tastes even better,” Dr. Blake Layfield, Maker’s Mark Master Distiller, gives it to us straight. We’re here to discuss the latest in the Loretto, Kentucky whiskeymaker’s Cellar Aged collection, only launched in 2023 but quickly becoming their most sought after annual expression. The reason being simple: “This is our 2025 release,” Dr. Layfield adds, “featuring some of our oldest whiskies.”
As age has long been a perceived a symbol of quality in whiskey, correct or not, the fact that Cellar Aged 2025 blends the oldest Maker’s Marks ever released is noteworthy (the exact profile being 74% 11-year-old, 10% 13-year-old and 16% 14-year-old bourbon).
Now in its third year, the Cellar Aged series was born from something quite simple, yet massively impactful. In 2016 Maker’s Mark carved LEED-certified cellars from the natural limestone shelf surrounding their distillery—the very same limestone responsible for the pristine water that many credit bourbon’s exceptionalism to. What these naturally cool cellars do, hovering below temperatures of 50°F (10°C), is slow down the aging process of the whiskey stored inside, transforming the climate from the erratic scorching highs and frigid lows of Kentucky to one more akin to that found in Scotland. Famously the cooler and more even climate of Scotland allows for longer, slower aging—which in turn unlocks the complexity, richness and depth which whiskey enthusiasts everywhere backflip over.
As one of the most famous wheated bourbons in the world, Maker’s Mark keeps everything simple to an almost monk-like discipline: only one single mash bill ever used (70% corn, 16% soft red winter wheat and 14% malted barley), one proprietary yeast strain, and no second finishes. That means for Maker’s Mark, the only variables are time, and the location where the whiskey spends its time. Therefore what these limestone cellars allow for, for the first time in Maker’s Mark existence, is a slower, longer aging process.
“Maker’s Mark is a product that is normally aged for just about seven years, and that is because we want it to be really, really approachable,” Dr. Layfield reveals. “Within the bourbon category we use new casks, and with our specific mash bill and our climate here in Kentucky, as products start to exceed eight or so years in a traditional warehouse, they can start to take on a more singular flavor profile. And that profile is oak— it starts to dominate out a lot of the flavors, so it can be kind of tannic and astringent and bitter, and that bitterness is something that we look to avoid.”
“For years consumers begged us: Please give us an older Maker’s Mark! Give us a 10 year old, a 12 year old, 15 or 21, anything! And we said thanks, but no,” Beth Buckner, Senior Manager of Innovation and Blending interjects. “And one thing you will learn about Blake and I: we’re really good at saying no when we need to—because our entire job is protecting the taste vision of Maker’s Mark.”
Once the new limestone cellars were built at their Star Hill Farm, however, that allowed Layfield, Buckner and their tasting team to hand-pick cherry casks that had hit their peak after roughly the expected 7-8 year window, but still had the potential to unlock. They then moved those barrels into said cellars, initiating a new cycle of aging under considerably different elements.
Arguably the most enlightening part of the tasting was when we sampled an 11-1/2 year old bourbon aged entirely in their traditional warehouses. This is a whiskey that will never be released as Maker’s Mark, because the team does not believe it reflects the brand’s signature profile. For the first time ever, we were able to distinctly taste what happens to Maker’s Mark bourbon when aged just a couple years too long in the unmitigated Kentucky climate. The effect is pronounced, powerful.
Let’s be clear: it is not a bad whiskey. In fact, to be completely honest we wouldn’t be mad with a bottle ourselves—boasting a buttery mouthfeel, with some bright, strawberry candy like notes. But the exercise works brilliantly in underscoring what exactly happens to that perfect Maker’s Mark profile when aging is not slowed. The bourbon absorbs too much of the oak characteristics from the barrels, and along with their tannins the juice gains a bitterness and astringency—one Layfield harkens to black coffee—that is anathema to the beloved Maker’s Mark character.
“This is an example of what we didn’t want to do with an older version of Maker’s Mark,” Dr. Layfield continues. “No matter how many years people cried and yelled at Beth and I to make an order version of Maker’s Mark, this is the reason that we didn’t do it: because we don’t think it matches our founders’ vision, nor do we believe it’s what quality whiskey tastes like.”
Courageous to show a whiskey which they think is not to their brand’s lofty standards—but it’s a bold move that reveals clearly the splendor of the limestone cellars when we finally taste the 2025 Cellar Aged. “What resonates for me is it’s really full-flavored when you take that first step, it’s really enveloping,” Buckner adds as we sip the Cellar Aged 2025. “We call that the Kentucky hug; it kind of warms you up just a little bit.”
Signature Maker’s Mark notes of caramelized brown sugar, nutmeg, butterscotch and vanilla are there in full supply, with an even thicker, more luxurious mouthfeel, with added notes of pecans, shortbread, and especially ripe dark cherry. New dimensions in complexity are unlocked, creating a bourbon that is all Maker’s Mark, with a new added breadth. For lovers of the brand, the achievement is momentous.
“Everything is the same with the exception of that aging environment,” Dr. Layfield stresses. “The only difference is where the barrels lived the second-half of their lives.” Bottled at a lip-licking cask strength of 56.45% ABV (112.9 proof), Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025 will be first available September 5th through the 7th at the 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, Kentucky, as well as on Saturday and Sunday, September 6th and 7th, at the distillery. Only one per customer, first come first served. Otherwise bottles hit retailers across the US starting September 15th for its SRP of $175.
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