Maker’s Mark just released the first new Bourbon in its 2026 series

There are some bottles of bourbon that you just know you can rely on for a cracking good dram – and one of the bottles probably springing to mind right about now will be a certain red wax sealed bottle that’s a stalwart of any decent drinks cupboard. Maker’s Mark has been gracing gatherings and adding flair to Old Fashioneds for decades, basically being a brilliant bourbon that pretty much everyone can enjoy.

Now, Maker’s Mark has unveiled the latest release in its Wood Finishing Series, a collection of bourbons that have been finished with a unique combination of wood staves. The featured wood staves have all been cooked or toasted to release unusual flavours and notes within the liquid. Sort of like a turbo-charged version of mixing different wood barrels.

You're probably familiar with wood barrels, which are used for traditional ageing and storage, as they offer slow oxygenation and build complex flavours. Wood staves, on the other hand, are the individual planks that make up a barrel, often used as inserts for faster, more controlled oak extraction compared to a full barrel.

The latest instalment in the series is the Stewards Release, reportedly a tribute to the distillery’s operations team, who guide the whiskey all the way from fermentation to bottling. Each bottle in the series so far has been named after a certain person or on a particular theme, celebrating everything whiskey.

The Stewards Release marks the midpoint of the second chapter of the Wood Finishing Series, which is set to wrap up in 2028. It follows the Heart Release in 2024 and the Keeper’s Release in 2025.

The liquid itself is a non-age-stated whiskey, distilled from the brand’s signature mashbill, consisting of 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. After its initial maturation, the liquid is finished with 10 virgin toasted American oak staves. One of the things that makes this release unique is that the final product is bottled at two different proof points – one at 109.6 (54.8% ABV), the other slightly higher at 113.3 (56.65% ABV).

According to Dr Blake Layfield, master distiller at Maker’s Mark: "Consumers today want exceptional whisky, but they're also interested in the values behind the brand and the people who make it."

“Bartenders feel the same way. They want to know more about the process, the ingredients and the craftsmanship in what they pour. The Stewards Release brings that philosophy to life, inspired by the operational leaders at Star Hill Farm and the care that goes into every step of production,” he added.

It's hard to get your hands on a bottle here in the UK, thanks to the release being highly limited. It's retailing for around $70 in the US. There is one US-based site selling the bottle to the UK, though, so if you're a collector or connoisseur, you may want to check out Frootbat, which is selling it for £139.99.

• Scarfes Bar, Holborn: New Heroes & Villains cocktail menu tasted — including an ‘Iron Lady’ tipple that almost made us forgive Margaret Thatcher

Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!