Penelope Architect (Garden State Select)

Abundant viscosity in the glass wants to impart the perception of age, but a slight, youthful, lingering, MGP thinness on the palate argues to the contrary. Pours of Architect over the past half-year have left a hankering for Maker's 46 Cask Strength's seemingly richer, more refined French Oak Stave process. Ethanolly sweetness that leaves a pleasant, brief, mildly oaky finish is a result of this "build" utilizing the "Complex Stave" and "Intense Stave" selections. Architect's numerous "builds" and "store select" iterations are reminiscent of Maker's Mark's Private Selects in that some deliver an intensifying feeling of "wow" the longer the bottle is open while others lead to ongoing self-convincing that the experience was worth the price of admission.