Compare
Maker's Mark vs Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel
Maker's Mark and Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel 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 | Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 110 proof (55% ABV) +20 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$25 – $32 ~$34 less | ~$55 – $70 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Limited |
- 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.
Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/8 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel 8 out of 10
oak 4/8 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel 8 out of 10
heat 3/7 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel 7 out of 10
sweetness 8/6 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel 6 out of 10
fruit 4/4 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The gap between these two is mostly about spice.
- 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.
- Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel: Non-chill-filtered single barrels at 110 proof, and the format that store picks have made a cult of. Concentrated Wild Turkey character with a texture the standard bottlings do not have.
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 Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel if you want concentrated Wild Turkey character with single-barrel variation and real texture with more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, old-fashioned (Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel).