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Maker's Mark vs Penelope Toasted Series
Comparing Maker's Mark and Penelope Toasted Series reveals a matchup between a traditional, wheated Kentucky staple and a sourced, spice-driven blend.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | Penelope Toasted Series |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | 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 | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 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.
Penelope Toasted Series
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Penelope Toasted Series
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/5 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 5 out of 10
oak 4/7 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 7 out of 10
heat 3/5 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 5 out of 10
sweetness 8/7 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 7 out of 10
fruit 4/4 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Penelope Toasted Series 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.
- 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 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 Penelope Toasted Series if you want a toasty, coffee-and-toffee bourbon from a second-barrel finish with more proof behind it and with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Toasted Series).