Suntory Global Spirits has unveiled the travel retail-exclusive (TREX) Maker’s Mark World Wood Collection. The series from the Kentucky bourbon house is launching this month with Avolta at five airports ahead of a wider channel roll-out in 2027.
The limited-edition whisky will pre-launch at New York John F. Kennedy, London Heathrow, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Perth and Bengaluru airports this month. It is available in a 1-litre format at 47.5% ABV with a recommended retail price of US$85.
Maker’s Mark World Wood will be supported by a dedicated in-store activation programme centred on the brand’s craftsmanship and premium messaging.
The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan was on location onboard Yacht Sirocco last week (30 September) as Suntory Global Spirits celebrated the new collection at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
The inaugural expression, Expedition 01, is the first Maker’s Mark whisky to feature three oak finishes drawn from three continents. It combines Japanese Mizunara, French and American white oak staves.
The launch builds on Maker’s Mark’s wider strategy to expand its presence in the ultra-premium whisky segment. It builds on the TREX Maker’s Mark Artist Series – City Edition launched earlier this year.
For Expedition 01, the whiskies undergo individual oak finishing before being blended into a single expression.
The combination of the three oaks creates a complex and balanced whisky.
Japanese Mizunara oak contributes floral notes and subtle umami complexity, while American white oak brings sweet vanilla, brightness and a rounded character. Finally, French oak adds warm baking spice flavours, caramel richness and a lingering finish.
The World Wood Collection builds on the brand’s wood-finishing approach, first introduced with Maker’s Mark 46, which uses oak staves to develop additional flavour dimensions in bourbon.
Maker’s Mark treats oak as a key ingredient in its whisky-making process. It has invested in developing with wood-finishing techniques and the stewardship of American white oak at its Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky.
Expedition 01 is presented in packaging inspired by the distinctive grain of each oak species.
“Expedition 01 represents the kind of premium, story-driven whisky experience that resonates with today’s global travellers,” said Suntory Global Spirits Managing Director, Global Travel Retail Vanessa Widmann.
“With its exclusive availability in global travel retail, distinctive oak-forward story and premium presentation, it offers travellers a rare opportunity to discover a truly unique expression from Maker’s Mark – one that celebrates craftsmanship, exploration and the influence of exceptional oak.”
“At Maker’s Mark, we celebrate bourbon as an agricultural product and the universe of flavour that can be unlocked through nature – water, wheat, oak and time,” said Maker’s Mark Managing Director and eighth-generation whisky maker Rob Samuels.
“That belief has long guided our commitment to sustainable forestry and to protecting the future of American white oak. Through intentional wood finishing, The World Wood Collection explores exceptional oak from around the world to create a whisky that expands the boundaries of flavour while staying true to our craft.” ✈
