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Maker’s Mark Cask Strength vs Penelope Rio
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and Penelope Rio sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an uncut, wheat-forward heavyweight versus a blender-built, classically built bottling.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength | Penelope Rio |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof | Four-Grain Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 74% corn, 7% rye, 16% wheat, 3% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 110 proof (55% ABV) +12 proof | 98 proof (49% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$40 – $50 ~$45 less | ~$80 – $100 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Limited |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Penelope Rio
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Flavor Profile
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Penelope Rio
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 3/6 spice: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, Penelope Rio 6 out of 10
heat 7/5 heat: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10, Penelope Rio 5 out of 10
oak 5/4 oak: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, Penelope Rio 4 out of 10
fruit 5/6 fruit: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, Penelope Rio 6 out of 10
sweetness 9/9 sweetness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10, Penelope Rio 9 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, Penelope Rio 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- Maker’s Mark Cask Strength: Undiluted Maker's, and the version that finally gives the wheated recipe some weight. Dense caramel and honey with real warmth, and one of the more affordable cask-strength bottles anywhere.
- Penelope Rio: Penelope's four-grain blend finished in honey barrels and then amburana wood. It tastes like a cinnamon roll: honey, gingerbread and sweet baking spice.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Maker’s Mark Cask Strength if you want wheated sweetness at full strength for well under what most cask-strength bourbons cost without hunting for it.
- Go with Penelope Rio if you want a honey-and-amburana-finished bourbon that tastes like a cinnamon roll.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength); neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Rio).