Maker's Mark Distillery

Maker's Mark is a wheated Kentucky straight bourbon distillery at Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky, known for replacing rye with soft red winter wheat and for hand-dipping every bottle in its signature red wax. The Sentinel Room's Reserve Whiskey Library carries two of its expressions: Maker's Mark Bourbon and Maker's Mark 46.

History & Heritage

The brand was founded in 1953 when T. William "Bill" Samuels Sr. purchased the small Burks' Distillery site near Loretto, choosing it for its spring-fed, limestone-filtered water source. Rather than continue the family's inherited rye-based recipe, Samuels set out to make a softer, more approachable bourbon. His wife, Margie Samuels, created the brand's identity, including the Maker's Mark name, the bottle design, and the hand-dipped red wax seal that still distinguishes every bottle. The first batch was distilled in 1954, and the first bottle was sold in 1958. The distillery's landmark buildings were designated a National Historic Landmark on December 16, 1980, listed as "Burks' Distillery," making it the first distillery in the United States recognized while its historic buildings remained in active production. The Samuels family has remained closely tied to the operation across generations, with Rob Samuels serving as managing director. As of July 2026, Maker's Mark is owned by Suntory Global Spirits, the company rebranded in 2024 from Beam Suntory, which acquired the parent Beam Inc. in 2014.

The Whiskey

Maker's Mark operates its own stills at Star Hill Farm and produces bourbon from a wheated mash bill of roughly 70% corn, 16% soft red winter wheat, and 14% malted barley, using no rye. The soft red winter wheat is the defining choice, lending front-of-palate sweetness and a smoother character than rye-forward bourbons. Maker's Mark Bourbon, the flagship, is bottled at 90 proof after maturation in new charred American oak barrels. Maker's Mark 46 is the distillery's first expression beyond the flagship and the first release in its Wood Finishing Series: fully matured Maker's Mark is finished with ten seared French oak staves (designated Stave Profile No. 46 by the Independent Stave Company) inserted into the barrel and aged further in a limestone cellar, yielding a richer, spicier profile with notes of caramel, vanilla, and baking spice. The distillery spells its product "whisky," without the "e," reflecting the Samuels family's Scottish heritage.

Why It Matters

Maker's Mark helped define the wheated bourbon category and built one of the most recognizable identities in American whiskey around a single visual cue, the hand-dipped red wax applied by hand to this day. Its status as a National Historic Landmark and its self-contained water source and watershed at Star Hill Farm underscore a production approach rooted in place. For The Sentinel Room's Reserve Whiskey Library, the pairing of the flagship Maker's Mark Bourbon with the French-oaked Maker's Mark 46 lets guests taste the difference a finishing process makes on a shared wheated base.

Visiting the Distillery

Maker's Mark operates a public visitor experience at Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky, with guided tours that require advance reservations. Offerings include the classic distillery tour of roughly an hour and fifteen minutes and longer experiences across the 1,100-acre farm, and visitors can hand-dip their own bottle in red wax at the distillery store.