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Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series Honors Distillery Stewards for 2026
The third chapter of Maker’s second Wood Finishing Series lands at $74.99 — stave-finished bourbon for the operations teams who shepherd whiskey from fermenter to bottle.
Maker’s Mark’s Wood Finishing Series keeps writing its people-first second act. The 2026 Stewards Release — announced March 9 — tips its red wax to the Star Hill Farm operations teams who move bourbon from first fermentation through final bottling.
Like the Keepers (2025) and Heart (2024) chapters before it, Stewards uses Maker’s proprietary wood-stave finishing: ten specially selected virgin toasted American oak staves amplify notes already hiding in the wheated bourbon. Official aromatics lean cherry pie and vanilla bean; the palate runs honey, toasted marshmallow, and candied ginger into a stone-fruit and salted-caramel finish.
Two batches ship to U.S. retailers at a suggested $74.99 — one at 109.6 proof (59.4% ABV) and another at 113.3 proof (56.65% ABV). The five-year series is slated to wrap in 2028. For drinkers who already chase Private Selection and 46, Stewards is the mid-series reminder that Maker’s still treats finishing wood as a character tool, not just a collector sticker.
Source: Suntory Global Spirits / Maker’s Mark press release. Photo credit: Maker’s Mark / Suntory Global Spirits.