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Maker's Mark vs Woodford Reserve
Maker's Mark and Woodford Reserve 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 | Woodford Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 90.4 proof (45.2% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$25 – $32 ~$10 less | ~$35 – $42 |
- 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.
Woodford Reserve
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Maker's Mark Woodford Reserve
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
spice 2/6 spice: Maker's Mark 2 out of 10, Woodford Reserve 6 out of 10
sweetness 8/6 sweetness: Maker's Mark 8 out of 10, Woodford Reserve 6 out of 10
oak 4/6 oak: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Woodford Reserve 6 out of 10
fruit 4/6 fruit: Maker's Mark 4 out of 10, Woodford Reserve 6 out of 10
heat 3/4 heat: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Woodford Reserve 4 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Maker's Mark 3 out of 10, Woodford Reserve 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.
- Woodford Reserve: The most widely poured premium bourbon in America, and a genuinely well-made one. Dried fruit and cocoa over a balanced 18% rye mash, finished smooth enough to please almost anyone.
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 slightly lower price point.
- Go with Woodford Reserve if you want a polished, widely available crowd-pleaser that never puts a foot wrong.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, cocktails, highball (Maker's Mark); neat, rocks, old-fashioned, cocktails (Woodford Reserve).