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Maker's Mark vs Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond
Maker's Mark and Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, wheat-forward classic versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 4 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$25 – $32 ~$22 less | ~$45 – $55 |
- 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.
Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/6 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
oak 4/7 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
heat 3/5 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
sweetness 8/7 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 3 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.
- Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond: The bonded entry in the Whiskey Row series and a noticeable step up in density from the standard 100. More oak and more weight, though the price gap to the 100 proof is harder to justify than the flavour gap suggests.
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 lower price point.
- Go with Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded, denser take on the Old Forester profile with more barrel behind it with more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, old-fashioned (Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond).