Review: Maker’s Mark The Stewards Release 2026 Limited Release

The third of five planned whiskeys in Maker’s Mark’s Limited Release Wood Finishing Series has arrived. The Stewards Release follows 2025’s The Keepers Release and 2024’s The Heart Release, this time honoring the “stewards” of the distillery, which seems to cover everyone from quality control to marketing.

Curiously, the listed stave finishing recipe for this whiskey is the same one that was used last year, with 10 virgin toasted American staves dropped into the barrel for its final months. (The specific types of American oak staves from Maker’s Mark’s arsenal aren’t disclosed on either bottle.) I’ve inquired as to the difference between the staves used in this and the Keepers Release, and will report back once I hear.

Please note, per Maker’s: “The Stewards Release will be delivered in two batches: one at 59.4% abv/ 109.6 proof, and the other at 56.65% abv / 113.3 proof.” That’s pretty odd considering The Keepers Release was bottled at 109.2 proof. Is this leftovers from last year? Anyhoo: I got the 113.3 proof version for review.

Let’s see how the Stewards fare (head to head vs. those darn Keepers).

Maker’s Mark The Stewards Release 2026 Limited Release Review

No doubt, side by side, these are different whiskeys. The Stewards Release showcases a bolder, woodier nose, almost evergreen in construction, tinged with menthol and eucalyptus notes, plus a stony, almost gravelly edge. (I noted eucalyptus in The Keepers release, but this time it’s outsized.) Time in glass evokes a touch of barnyard, almost sweaty. In contrast, the Keepers Release is quite a bit sweeter and spicier, with this 2026 edition a considerably more savory — even closed-off — aromatic experience.

On the palate The Stewards Release is wholly agreeable though definitely earthy-savory, with overtones of walnut shells, hemp rope, and anise dominating the experience. It’s perhaps unlike any other Maker’s Mark whiskey I’ve ever encountered, pouring on notes of wet asphalt, gunpowder, and more of that licorice-fueled anise character.

This is a drying whiskey with a short, earthy conclusion, and though it may feature a familiar recipe, it comes out the other end a completely different animal. I guess I don’t need to tell you where my heart lies.

113.3 proof as tasted. Reviewed: Batch 3 of 5.

B+ / $75 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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