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Maker's Mark vs Eagle Rare 12 Year
Put Maker's Mark next to Eagle Rare 12 Year and you have a classic, high-wheat stalwart set against a classic, corn-forward stalwart.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | Eagle Rare 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 95 proof (47.5% ABV) +5 proof |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$25 – $32 ~$37 less | ~$50 – $80 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- Eagle Rare 12 Year does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Maker's Mark
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Eagle Rare 12 Year
Top 3, behind George T. Stagg and Jack Daniel's 14.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Eagle Rare 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/5 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
oak 4/7 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
fruit 4/6 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 6 out of 10
heat 3/5 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 5 out of 10
sweetness 8/7 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 7 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Eagle Rare 12 Year 4 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Rye spice is the dividing line here.
- 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.
- Eagle Rare 12 Year: Two more years and five more proof points than Eagle Rare 10. Brown sugar and toffee lead, with a drier, more astringent oak finish.
Which One Should You Choose?
- 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 significantly lower price point.
- Go with Eagle Rare 12 Year if you want an older, richer step up from Eagle Rare 10 with more brown sugar and oak.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, rocks (Eagle Rare 12 Year).