I’ve been looking forward to doing this comparison. I love what Maker’s is doing with staves, both in these editions and with “store picks”. It’s crazy how much the base whiskey changes! I don’t have the room here to go into the process of the staves used in these, but look it up, it’s interesting!

Fancy is going with the RC6 that she knows she likes. Let’s see if the 2020 can beat her! These retail for $60-70

RC6) 108.2 Proof
-The Nose is very inviting with initial tart funk, with green grass and banana, but then clove, sweet vanilla, and oak.
-The Palate is sweet and fruity with notes of apples, vanilla, caramel, and baking spices as you chew. There is a creaminess that I really like.
-The Finish is medium in length, with some black pepper, more sweet vanilla, and oak char.
Overall this is a very enjoyable expression of Maker’s that I definitely think is a little more enjoyable than the standard Cask Strength.

2020) 110.8 Poof
-The Nose here is remarkably different, with more sweet-corn, caramel, and weathered oak, along with a slight barn-funk that I really like, and apple.
-The Palate starts more spicy with black pepper and baking spices, and quickly moves into sweet vanilla-icing, and then bitter-oak, and toasted coconut.
-The Finish is medium-long, with more toasted coconut, vanilla, and oak.
Overall this is also a very enjoyable version of Maker’s and remarkably different!

VERDICT) These are both great version’s of Maker’s, and I would choose both over the standard Cask Strength. For me the slight bitterness of the 2020, and the increased fruitiness of the RC6 puts the 2019 ahead.
Fancy is happy with a comeback victory today!

Let me know what you guys think in the comments!