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Maker’s Mark Cask Strength vs Penelope Toasted Series
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and Penelope Toasted Series sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an uncut, wheat-forward heavyweight versus a blender-built, rye-forward bottling.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength | Penelope Toasted Series |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 110 proof (55% ABV) +10 proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$40 – $50 ~$18 less | ~$55 – $70 |
- 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 Toasted Series
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Penelope Toasted Series
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 9/7 sweetness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 7 out of 10
spice 3/5 spice: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 5 out of 10
oak 5/7 oak: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 7 out of 10
heat 7/5 heat: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 5 out of 10
fruit 5/4 fruit: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- 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 Toasted Series: Finished in a second, freshly toasted barrel, which pushes it toward toffee, roasted coffee and darker oak. The toast level changes from batch to batch.
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.
- Go with Penelope Toasted Series if you want a toasty, coffee-and-toffee bourbon from a second-barrel finish with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength); neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Toasted Series).