Maker’s Mark’s 2025 Cellar Aged Release Contains its Oldest Liquid To Date — and ‘Challenges’ Stereotypes About Aged Whiskey

Maker’s Mark announced on Tuesday that its 2025 Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged is ready to hit the shelves. The whisky features a blend of 11- to 14-year-old whiskeys. The 14-year-old component is the oldest whiskey Maker’s Mark has ever blended in the history of the brand.

For a long time, the whiskey brand known for its red, wax-topped bottles has steered clear of the extended-age whiskey trend, focusing more on taste over time. Yet the brand claims that this year’s Cellar Aged release is a subversive take on an older whiskey.

“Our cellar, built into the natural limestone shelf that surrounds our Star Hill Farm distillery, plays a vital role in shaping the whisky’s final profile — just as our environment has done since our founding,” said Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Dr. Blake Layfield in a statement. “Aging at consistently cool temperatures slows the extraction of wood tannins, allowing oxidation to do its work and developing a bourbon that’s more complex, yet remarkably approachable. By avoiding overly bitter, tannic notes that can come with traditional long aging, this one-of-a-kind expression challenges everything you think you know about aged bourbon.”

Maker’s Mark 2025 consists of 74% of an 11-year-old bourbon, 10% of a 13-year-old bourbon and 16% of a 14-year-old bourbon. The whiskey features a suggested price of $175. According to the team at Maker’s Mark, the final whiskey features a high-toned character, with a finish that lingers. The nose is full of orchard fruit like baked apple, interlaced with dark brown sugar. The palate features creamy fudge, dark cherry and butterscotch, coupled with orange zest.

“From the beginning, Maker’s Mark has gone to extraordinary lengths to craft an uncompromisingly delicious bourbon, and Cellar Aged 2025 is a continuation of that pursuit,” said Managing Director and Eighth-Generation Whisky Maker Rob Samuels in a statement. “An elevated expression that remains unmistakably Maker’s Mark, Cellar Aged finishes maturing in our LEED-certified limestone cellar, creating a richer, deeper and more complex bourbon.”