Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2026 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky 700ml

Cellar Aged is now in its fourth year, and the 2026 edition is genuinely one of the most mature blends Maker's Mark has ever released — a marriage of 49% 11-year-old, 33% 12-year-old, and 18% 14-year-old bourbon, carrying the series' largest-ever proportion of 14-year whisky to date. As Rob Samuels, Maker's Mark managing director and eighth-generation whisky maker, explains the concept directly: "decades later, we made what some considered an unreasonable decision to build a LEED-certified cellar into that same limestone shelf" his grandparents Margie and Bill Samuels Sr. chose back in 1953 for its exceptional water source, "allowing us to extend maturation while preserving the balance that defines Maker's Mark." The barrels spend roughly their first seven years in Maker's Mark's conventional Kentucky warehouses before moving into that temperature-controlled, limestone-built cellar for another four to six years — a real, deliberate environmental choice that continues to shape the whisky's final character.

This bottle is limited to one bottle per customer, please.

Master Distiller Dr. Blake Layfield describes Cellar Aged as "our pursuit of flavor through patience, precision and a deep understanding of how bourbon evolves over time." Bottled at cask strength, 112.1 proof, this is genuinely rare, mature wheated bourbon — aged to taste rather than a fixed timeline, built specifically to reveal new layers of depth with each passing year in the series.

Bourbon Banter's Steve Coomes found the nose showing "honey drizzled onto toasted wheat bread" leading, moving "toward caramel and mocha icing," with "cinnamon and expressed orange peel" hovering "at the top of the glass while oak and ethanol lie low," noting it "drinks a little hotter than its 112 proof, but that warmth holds at a pleasant simmer, even after repeated sips," concluding plainly: "two of the many smart things Maker's Mark has done to innovate on its legendary flagship is boosting both age and proof." Bourbon Guy's tasting found "floral vanilla, rich tobacco and cedar, caramel, and oak" on the nose, the mouth "very rich" with "luscious toffee and baking spice notes, along with rich cedar, tobacco, and leather notes and a wonderfully thick mouthfeel," closing "long and warm with notes of toffee, cedar, oak, and leather." The official tasting notes describe the whisky opening "with aromas of dark cherry, clove, vanilla bean and soft orchard fruit," developing on the palate into "honey, brown sugar and ripe plum," concluding "with a warming, silky finish accented by almond, nutmeg and crisp green apple." This is genuinely one of the most mature, deliberately patient releases in Maker's Mark's entire portfolio — real depth from a limestone cellar built specifically to coax it out.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2026 is produced at Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky, under Master Distiller Dr. Blake Layfield. The bourbon is a blend of 49% 11-year-old, 33% 12-year-old, and 18% 14-year-old Maker's Mark bourbon — the largest share of 14-year whisky used in the series to date.

Barrels spend roughly their first seven years in Maker's Mark's conventional Kentucky warehouses, then move into a LEED-certified cellar built into the limestone face of Star Hill Farm for a further four to six years of extended, temperature-controlled maturation. This is the fourth annual release in the Cellar Aged series. Bottled at cask strength, 56.05% ABV / 112.1 proof, 700ml, released September 1, 2026, available at select U.S. retailers, with the U.K., Germany, Korea, Japan, Australia, and Global Travel Retail following later in 2026 into 2027.

Critics Reviews

Steve Coomes, Bourbon Banter:
"Nose: Honey drizzled onto toasted wheat bread leads before moving toward caramel and mocha icing. Cinnamon and expressed orange peel hover at the top of the glass while oak and ethanol lie low, waiting to be summoned for a sip. It drinks a little hotter than its 112 proof, but that warmth holds at a pleasant simmer, even after repeated sips. Finish: Medium length, barely warming and richly honeyed. Reviewer's Verdict: Two of the many smart things Maker's Mark has done to innovate on its legendary flagship is boosting both age and proof."

Bourbon Guy (extended independent review):
"Nose: Floral vanilla, rich tobacco and cedar, caramel, and oak. Mouth: Toffee, nutmeg, allspice, tobacco, leather, cedar, and oak. Finish: Long and warm with notes of toffee, cedar, oak, and leather. The mouth is as spicy as you would expect for roughly 112 proof. Very rich in the mouth with luscious toffee and baking spice notes, along with rich cedar, tobacco, and leather notes and a wonderfully thick mouthfeel."

Dr. Blake Layfield, Master Distiller, Maker's Mark:
"Cellar Aged represents our pursuit of flavor through patience, precision and a deep understanding of how bourbon evolves over time."

Rob Samuels, Managing Director, Maker's Mark:
"Decades later, we made what some considered an unreasonable decision to build a LEED-certified cellar into that same limestone shelf, allowing us to extend maturation while preserving the balance that defines Maker's Mark. This year's Cellar Aged release is a testament to how our environment continues to shape the whisky's final profile."

Maker's Mark (official tasting notes):
"Nose: Dark cherry, clove, vanilla bean and soft orchard fruit. Palate: Honey, brown sugar and ripe plum. Finish: A warming, silky finish accented by almond, nutmeg and crisp green apple."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Dark cherry and clove lead, joined by vanilla bean and soft orchard fruit, alongside honey drizzled toasted wheat bread, caramel, and mocha icing.

Palate
Rich and full, with honey, brown sugar, and ripe plum carrying real depth, developing toffee, allspice, cedar, tobacco, and leather, balanced by warming spice.

Finish
Warming and silky, closing with almond, nutmeg, crisp green apple, and lingering cedar and oak.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Dark cherry or plum-based desserts
• Grilled or smoked meats
• Aged cheddar
• Baking-spice desserts

Serving Note

Enjoy neat in a Glencairn glass to fully appreciate the layered, mature character; a few drops of water can help open additional orchard fruit notes.