Maker’s Mark has expanded its visitor program with a series of three new tours featuring different aspects of Star Hill Farm, the distillery’s 1,100-acre property. The new tour offerings, called the Star Hill Farm Experiences, are designed to explore the natural resources that go into making its bourbon.
The first of the three offerings, called “The Oak Experience,” is for visitors interested in things arboreal. The $220 tour starts with a quick course on American white oak trees and then explains the intricacies of barrel maturation and cask finishing. Visitors are then taken through the property’s white oak research forest, including a visit to the Mother Oak tree—one of Kentucky’s oldest trees, estimated to be between 300 and 500 years old. The tour, which lasts two and a half hours, concludes with a tasting of expressions from the Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series.
The second offering is called the “Star Hill Farm Tour.” This package explores the Star Hill Farm wheat fields and livestock pastures. Other options are tailored to the season, with this summer’s focus on the mushroom quarry, apiaries, and garden. This one costs $60 and lasts just over an hour; it starts with a Gold Rush cocktail and concludes with a tasting that includes three samples from the Private Select and Wood Finishing series.
The third new option is called the “Maker’s Mark Art and Design Tour,” and focuses more on the aesthetic side of the Maker’s Mark campus, showcasing some of the original art pieces on display there. The hour-and-a-half tour costs $45 and starts with a welcome cocktail. It concludes with a viewing of Spirit of The Maker, a piece by the world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly that was installed on the ceiling of Maker’s main rickhouse in 2013, accompanied by a single tasting from the Private Select range.
The tours have already started rolling out, with tickets available online via the Maker’s Mark experience page—which also contains additional booking information. Although not required, guests are encouraged to book in advance to secure a spot and arrive at least 15 to 20 minutes early. The classic Maker’s Mark tours will still be offered.
Maker’s Mark has already expressed an interest in expanding the Star Hill Farm tours in the future. Although the specifics haven’t been announced, there are plans for a bee-centric apiary experience and a tour that dives even deeper into its estate-grown wheat. This is all part of an effort by distillers to bring the issues of terroir and sustainability into the picture, while also casting a wider net to attract even more new visitors to what’s already a booming tourist destination.
Maker’s Mark Bourbons to Try
91 Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series: BEP (2023), 55.35%, $70
The latest offering in the Wood Finishing Series is finished in barrels with ten virgin toasted oak staves. It has notes of soft spices, vanilla, chocolate milkshake, dried herbs, and pepper. Its lengthy finish incorporates oak with more chocolate and spice.
89 Maker’s Mark, 45%, $30
This is Maker's flagship expression, a wheated bourbon with the trademark red wax seal. Its main notes consist of caramel, vanilla, toffee, and almonds. The finish is reminiscent of a pie, with crust, candied fruit, praline, and pecan notes emerging.
