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Four Roses Single Barrel vs Maker's Mark
Put Four Roses Single Barrel next to Maker's Mark and you have a classic, high-rye stalwart set against a classic, high-wheat stalwart.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Four Roses Single Barrel | Maker's Mark |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$45 – $55 | ~$25 – $32 ~$22 less |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Four Roses Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Maker's Mark
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Four Roses Single Barrel Maker's Mark
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 8/2 spice: Four Roses Single Barrel 8 out of 10, Maker's Mark 2 out of 10
fruit 7/4 fruit: Four Roses Single Barrel 7 out of 10, Maker's Mark 4 out of 10
heat 6/3 heat: Four Roses Single Barrel 6 out of 10, Maker's Mark 3 out of 10
sweetness 6/8 sweetness: Four Roses Single Barrel 6 out of 10, Maker's Mark 8 out of 10
oak 6/4 oak: Four Roses Single Barrel 6 out of 10, Maker's Mark 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Four Roses Single Barrel 3 out of 10, Maker's Mark 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Rye spice is the dividing line here.
- Four Roses Single Barrel: The OBSV recipe on its own at 100 proof — the highest-rye mash Four Roses uses, paired with their most floral yeast. Cherry and clove in equal measure, and a genuinely distinctive glass.
- Maker's Mark: The bottle that made wheated bourbon mainstream. Soft, sweet, and deliberately low on spice and oak, with baked bread and honey doing most of the work. Consistency is its real feature.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Four Roses Single Barrel if you want the most expressive, spice-and-fruit-forward single recipe in the Four Roses range with more proof behind it.
- Go with Maker's Mark if you want a reliably sweet, low-spice wheater that is easy to find and easy to drink at a lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (Four Roses Single Barrel); neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark).