I’ve grown increasingly jaded towards finished whisky over time. In theory, it’s an interesting—even exciting—idea: Take a mature whisky and dump it into a different, secondary cask for a few weeks, granting it more flavor, dimension, and complexity. However, the sheer volume of bottles using finishing casks has exploded to an overwhelming degree. It’s very much a byproduct of whisky’s growing popularity, especially since brands are constantly looking for ways to distinguish themselves. And yet, this approach is so common that even finished products feel like they blend together into a discombobulated subcategory.

The scenario becomes even muddier when we consider the flexibility producers have when finishing their products. Finishing casks are often “wet” from the liquid they previously held, which means the whisky entering the cask ends up being a blend of sorts. Brands like Angel’s Envy and Basil Hayden have also drawn ire from enthusiasts for outright blending some expressions in their portfolios.

I emphasize this because Maker’s Mark takes a slightly different approach for their finished products. Instead of dumping their whisky into a new cask type, they place charred and/or toasted staves into the barrel. When you think about it, this is a “cleaner” way of finishing since the defining characteristic of these staves is their wood type. Maker’s Mark plays up this variety by letting groups and stores create a customized pick for the Private Selection line. They also ran with this idea in 2019 when introducing the Wood Finishing Series. In short, these expressions are similar in vein to the Private Selections, but Maker’s Mark utilizes proprietary staves identified with alphanumeric codes.

Like 2021, 2022 brought two new Wood Finishing Series releases, dubbed BRT-01 and BRT-02, short for “barrel rotation”. The first of these, BRT-01, attempted to emphasize the first three years of aging Maker’s Mark goes through, which takes place at the top of the rickhouse where heat fluctuates more drastically. BRT-02 is the yang to BRT-01’s yin; emulating the second three years of aging where Maker’s Mark move their barrels to the bottom of the rickhouse, where temperatures are cooler and more consistent. Another distinction is that BRT-01 used American oak staves while BRT-02 used French oak staves.

Although an interesting and ultimately worthy addition to the Wood Finishing Series, I found BRT-01 to be a step below its predecessors. It was enough to keep me from looking for BRT-02, which supposedly had odd distribution in my state. Yet a surprise sample of BRT-02 showed up in the mail one day, so I got to find out if I missed anything.

Nose: Musty and earthy at first, eventually followed by a buttery, fudge-shop aroma. Has a nice, dry rickhouse personality. Big layer of dark brown sugar and butterscotch atop some vanilla and chai spice. Fresh fudge and waffle cone become more apparent before hints of roasted corn emerge in the background. Tobacco and sweet pastry notes after sipping.

Palate: Moderate viscosity. Earthy essence and barrel spice nicely contrasted by butterscotch and caramelized dark brown sugar. Subtle toffee and tobacco soon followed by drying notes of vanilla and clove.

Finish: Flan, hot buttered rum, and the toasted layer of crème brulee. Warm cherry pie too. Great oak structure and flavor joined by clove to close things out.

Now I’m bummed I never found or got a bottle. This is easily the best Wood Finishing Series release since SE4xPR5. BRT-02 checks many of the boxes I get in some of the better Maker’s Mark products, including a strong combined presence of rickhouses, fudge shops, and a touch of holiday dessert. There’s also enough spice and earthy notes to keep it from feeling saccharine, a personality some bourbons often slip into. The presence of greater maturity is absolutely palpable, which is a big reason I adored SE4xPR5 so much.

Whatever direction Maker’s take with the Wood Finishing Series—or whatever its successor’s name ends up being—I hope they keep the profile of BRT-02 in mind. I almost exclusively purchase finished products when choosing Maker’s Mark, which I can’t say about any other brand that offers finished and non-finished expressions. Where other producers seemingly use finishes to cover up the youth of their distillate and create hot, jumbled messes in the process, the Private Selections and Wood Finishing Series releases consistently feel like properly finished products that enhance the foundation while easing out the rough edges. BRT-01 didn’t have the most finesse in that sense, especially as the pour sat. BRT-02 avoids such fate by delivering a fairly dark and rich personality that brings strong, positive associations to mind. It’s peak Maker’s Mark in my books and gives my favorite Wood Finishing Series a run for its money.