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Penelope Toasted Series vs Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Penelope Toasted Series and Maker’s Mark Cask Strength sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a sourced, rye-forward blend versus an uncut, wheat-forward heavyweight.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Penelope Toasted Series | Maker’s Mark Cask Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon, Barrel Proof |
| Mash Bill | 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley | 70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 110 proof (55% ABV) +10 proof |
| Approx. Price 1 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$40 – $50 ~$18 less |
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Penelope Toasted Series
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Penelope Toasted Series Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 7/9 sweetness: Penelope Toasted Series 7 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 9 out of 10
spice 5/3 spice: Penelope Toasted Series 5 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10
oak 7/5 oak: Penelope Toasted Series 7 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10
heat 5/7 heat: Penelope Toasted Series 5 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 7 out of 10
fruit 4/5 fruit: Penelope Toasted Series 4 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 5 out of 10
nuttiness 3/3 nuttiness: Penelope Toasted Series 3 out of 10, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength 3 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- 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.
- Maker’s Mark Cask Strength: Undiluted Maker's, and the version that finally gives the wheated recipe some weight. Dense caramel and honey with real warmth, and one of the more affordable cask-strength bottles anywhere.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Penelope Toasted Series if you want a toasty, coffee-and-toffee bourbon from a second-barrel finish with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
- Go with Maker’s Mark Cask Strength if you want wheated sweetness at full strength for well under what most cask-strength bourbons cost.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned (Penelope Toasted Series); neat, rocks (Maker’s Mark Cask Strength).