A while ago Maker’s Mark had a problem. They made the perfect clean smooth wheated bourbon. Meanwhile, a modern palate wanted more ‘rye’ spice, and more ‘oaky’ notes, and other elements that Maker’s Mark’s perfect formula was lacking. Their ingenious answer was to use oak staves in a brief extra-maturation process to add additional flavours to the whisky. Maker’s Mark 46 was born, and the results were terrific.