Maker’s Mark recently unveiled the latest addition to their Wood Finishing Series. The 2021 limited release—robotically dubbed FAE-01—is the distillery’s third release in this series and derives its flavors from the unique process being used on the American oak staves that aged the whiskey.
According to Maker’s Mark, the barrels are “cooked on one side only in order to maximize the flavors pulled from the staves—the infrared side for heavier wood extractives and the raw side to allow more fruit-forward elements.” The raw side, meanwhile, is said to “allow more fruit-forward elements (first time Maker’s has used a stave that has raw wood).”