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Maker's Mark vs Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
Comparing Maker's Mark and Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style reveals a matchup between a traditional, wheated Kentucky staple and a traditional, spice-driven Kentucky staple.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No age statement |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 115 proof (57.5% ABV) +25 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$25 – $32 ~$34 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
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/7 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style 7 out of 10
heat 3/7 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style 7 out of 10
oak 4/7 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style 7 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style 5 out of 10
sweetness 8/8 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style 8 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style 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 1920 Prohibition Style: Dense and syrupy for its age, with molasses and dark chocolate carrying a serious 115-proof punch. The high rye reads as baking spice rather than sharpness, and the body is unusually thick.
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 Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style if you want a rich, high-proof, dessert-leaning bourbon with real weight in the glass.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, old-fashioned (Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style).