Maker's Mark has always been a bourbon that punches above its weight in terms of approachability, and the London Edition is a fascinating departure from their standard lineup. At 55.4% ABV, this Kentucky Straight Bourbon arrives at cask strength — a serious step up from the flagship 45% bottling — and it's clearly been put together with a specific audience in mind. The fact that this carries a London Edition label tells you Maker's Mark is thinking about how bourbon plays in markets where single malt Scotch is king, and frankly, I think that's a smart move.
What we know about Maker's Mark as a distillery is well established: their use of red winter wheat in the mashbill instead of rye gives their bourbon that signature softness, that rounded sweetness that sets it apart from spicier, rye-heavy expressions. The London Edition doesn't abandon that identity — it builds on it. At 55.4%, you're getting the full force of what that wheat-forward profile can deliver when it hasn't been diluted down. This is bourbon with its shoulders back.
Tasting Notes
I'd encourage anyone picking this up to spend time with it neat before reaching for water or ice. At cask strength, a bourbon like this will evolve significantly in the glass over twenty minutes. The higher proof means more of those barrel-derived flavours — the vanillins, the caramelised sugars, the toasted oak compounds — come through with real intensity. A few drops of water will open it up considerably, and that's where the wheat mashbill really starts to show its hand, softening what might otherwise be a hot pour into something genuinely silky. This is a bourbon that rewards patience.
The Verdict
At £79.95, the Maker's Mark London Edition sits in a competitive bracket. You're paying a premium over standard Maker's Mark, but you're also getting a cask-strength bourbon with genuine character and what feels like a considered release rather than a gimmick. The NAS designation doesn't bother me here — Maker's Mark has never leaned heavily on age statements, and their wood management programme, rotating barrels through different warehouse positions to manage heat exposure and maturation consistency, means age isn't the whole story anyway. What matters is whether the liquid delivers, and at this proof point, with this pedigree, I'm confident it does. A 7.9 out of 10 feels right — this is a genuinely good cask-strength bourbon that doesn't try to be something it isn't. It's Maker's Mark turned up, and that's enough.
Best Served
Pour this into a Manhattan and you'll understand why cask-strength bourbon exists. The 55.4% ABV means it stands up beautifully against sweet vermouth without getting lost — use a 2:1 ratio with a quality Italian vermouth, a couple of dashes of Angostura, and stir it down properly over ice for a good thirty seconds. The wheat-forward softness keeps the cocktail balanced even at this proof. If cocktails aren't your thing, try it neat with three or four drops of water and give it ten minutes to breathe. Either way, this is a bourbon that wants you to pay attention to it.
