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Maker’s Mark Cask Strength vs Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Put Maker’s Mark Cask Strength next to Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond and you have an uncut, high-wheat heavyweight set against a contemporary, high-wheat craft build.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength | Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof | Wheated Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 6 years |
| Proof | 110 proof (55% ABV) +10 proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$40 – $50 ~$8 less | ~$45 – $60 |
- 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.
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 9/7 sweetness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
heat 7/5 heat: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
fruit 5/6 fruit: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
spice 3/3 spice: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10
oak 5/5 oak: Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The clearest split is how sweet each one drinks.
- 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.
- Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond: A sweet-mash, bonded wheated bourbon from a distillery founded by two fermentation scientists, and the technical care shows in how clean it tastes. One of the strongest craft arguments on the shelf.
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 Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded, sweet-mash wheater from a modern distillery doing genuinely careful work with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength); neat, rocks (Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond).