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Maker's Mark vs Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
On paper Maker's Mark and Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond are near neighbours — both wheated bourbons — so price (~$25 – $32 vs. ~$45 – $60) is what actually decides it.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Maker's Mark | Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Wheated Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon |
| Mash Bill | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley | 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 6 years |
| Proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$25 – $32 ~$24 less | ~$45 – $60 |
- 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.
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
fruit 4/6 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
heat 3/5 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
sweetness 8/7 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
spice 2/3 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10
oak 4/5 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/4 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Fruit character is what sets these apart.
- 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.
- Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond: A sweet-mash, bonded wheated bourbon from a distillery founded by two fermentation scientists, and the technical care shows in how clean it tastes. One of the strongest craft arguments on the shelf.
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 Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded, sweet-mash wheater from a modern distillery doing genuinely careful work with more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, rocks (Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond).