Maker’s Mark Launches Historic Kentucky Wheat Whisky
The first new mashbill and first wheat whisky in Maker’s Mark’s 70-year history.
For the first time in the more than 70 years since Maker’s Mark was created, the venerable bourbon distillery is launching a groundbreaking new style of whiskey—and it’s not a bourbon. Star Hill Farm Whisky is a “Kentucky Wheat Whisky” that’s made with 51 percent or more wheat instead of the 51 percent or more of corn legally required for bourbon.
You can think of the Star Hill Farm Whisky label as an experimental collection for Maker’s Mark — a brand that will launch one-off releases of new and different whiskeys every year. Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and managing director of Maker’s Mark, called Star Hill Farm Whisky “a 10-year journey to unlock nature’s depth of flavor, resulting in something new from the Maker’s Mark Distillery.”
The 2025 Star Hill Farm Whisky (named for the farm on which the Maker’s Mark distillery was built in 1953) is exceptionally different. Maker’s Mark has released a number of different whiskeys over the years, starting with the introduction of Maker’s Mark 46 and continuing with a number of projects under their Wood Finishing Series. But each and every one of those whiskeys was a version of the same wheated mashbill using red winter wheat as the bourbon’s “flavoring grain.”
A wheat whiskey typically “inverts” the average bourbon recipe, placing corn in the “flavoring” slot, so to speak. But the Maker’s Mark team didn’t go that route for their first new release — in fact, they didn’t use corn at all. This year’s release is a blend of 7- and 8-year-old whiskeys made from two mashbills: one containing 70 percent wheat and 30 percent barley (typically used in bourbon to encourage better fermentation and add nutty flavors) and one mashbill using 100 percent soft red winter wheat on its own.
Maker’s Mark is delivering this whiskey at its most authentic, too. The first batch of Star Hill Farm Whisky will also come at a no-nonsense cask strength of 114.7 proof. It will be uncut and, if it’s in keeping with the rest of Maker’s Mark’s portfolio, it’s non-chill filtered. Provided tasting notes from Maker’s Mark Master Distiller Dr. Blake Layfield said the nose “captivates with notes of buttery caramel, golden raisins and gingerbread.” He described flavors of “honeyed toffee, chocolate-covered cherries, and a hint of apple pie spice,” With a finish of cinnamon and toasted pecans.
Aside from making great booze, this project’s central focus will be about the impact of healthy regenerative ecosystems (think crop rotation on steroids) on flavor in grain. Maker’s Mark has a B Corp certification — they’re the first and only bourbon distillery to have one — and they’re also the first distillery in the world to be certified by leading regenerative certification company Regenified. All of that may not make much difference in your cocktails, but it’s allowing them to make Star Hill Farm the first whisky to carry a certification from the Estate Whiskey Alliance for “local sourcing and sustainable production in the whiskey industry.” At a time when some brands still hide their sources and recipes from the public, more transparency is a great feature.
Star Hill Farm Whisky will typically be released in May. Unfortunately, there are no official reports about the number of bottles or cases in the market. It’s a worldwide product, though, shipping to the United Kingdom and Australian markets, so there’s at least enough for it to be worth exporting. And with a $100 price tag, it’s an absolutely affordable way to try something special from an iconic brand that’s trying something new.
G. Clay Whittaker is a Maxim contributor covering lifestyle, whiskey, cannabis and travel. His work has also appeared in Bon Appetit, Men’s Journal, Cigar Aficionado, Playboy and Esquire. Subscribe to his newsletter Drinks & Stuff for perspectives on drinks, and stuff.