Older bourbon can become a contest of oak, but Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2026 is built to keep fruit in the conversation. The fourth annual release blends 11-, 12-, and 14-year-old wheated bourbons matured partly inside the distillery’s temperature-controlled limestone cellar.

The composition comprises 49 percent 11-year-old, 33 percent 12-year-old, and 18 percent 14-year-old bourbon, giving this edition the series’ largest proportion of 14-year bourbon so far. The barrels spend roughly their first seven years in Maker’s Mark’s conventional Kentucky warehouses before moving into the LEED-certified cellar built into the limestone face of Star Hill Farm for another four to six years. Its temperature remains near 50 degrees Fahrenheit, slowing maturation and limiting the tannic extraction that can leave long-aged bourbon dry or bitter.

Bottled at cask strength, the 2026 blend registers 112.1 proof, or 56.05 percent ABV. Maker’s Mark identifies dark cherry, clove, vanilla bean, and soft orchard fruit on the nose. Honey, brown sugar, and ripe plum follow on the palate before a finish of almond, nutmeg, and crisp green apple. More important than the tasting-note inventory is the underlying method: the cellar extends maturation without replacing the distillery’s familiar sweetness with dominant oak.

The limited annual bourbon release reaches select U.S. retailers nationwide on September 1 with a suggested price of $175. Distribution in the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, Japan, Australia, and global travel retail will follow later in 2026 and continue into 2027.