When Maker’s Mark debuted in the 1950s, the bourbon became known for a few things, its distinctive square-shaped bottle with a red wax seal on the neck, spelling whiskey without the “e” as a nod to the brand’s Scottish heritage, and for being a “wheated bourbon” using red winter wheat as a flavoring grain rather than just rye. Its newest product is a wheat whisky, so it doesn’t have any corn, a typical key ingredient in bourbon.
The new wheat-based whisky is named after Star Hill Farm, the 1,100-acre farm in Loretto, KY, that is home to the Maker’s Mark Distillery. The plot was chosen by Maker’s Mark founders, Margie and Bill Samuels Sr., in 1953 for its water source and proximity to grain farmers. The bottle proclaims it is locally grown whisky, farmed to showcase the influence of our land. Nature as the maker!
While Maker’s Mark has used the same mashbill for over 70 years to create a balanced and consistent bourbon, Star Hill Farm Whisky will evolve each year, exploring flavors that soil, wheat, water and wood impart to quality ingredients when expertly blended, aged and grown regeneratively. The inaugural release will highlight soft red winter wheat — the distinctive grain in Maker’s Mark’s mashbill — and will remove corn entirely, allowing the wheat to shine. Federal regulations dictate that American wheat whiskey must be made from a mash of at least 51% wheat. While this isn’t a new class of spirit, wheat whiskey has become more common recently as producers big and small look to explore options beyond the crowded bourbon market.The 2025 release of Star Hill Farm Whisky is crafted from two mashbills: one with 70% soft red winter wheat and 30% malted barley, and the other with 100% malted soft red winter wheat.
For reference, to be labeled “wheat whiskey,” a mash bill must contain at least 51% wheat. Some whiskeys use the minimum amount, while others use 100% wheat. For example, Haig Club is made with 90% wheat. Bourbon, on the other hand, requires at least 51% corn.
If you’re going to tout the farm and quality of grain your whisky is coming from, then it is also key to care about the soil. Maker’s Mark is the first distillery to receive certification from Regenified, a regenerative agriculture certification company. To get the certification, farms must not only currently meet certain standards of regenerative agriculture, such as reducing the amount of soil disturbances like tillage and using cover crops to benefit the soil, but also show they are making improvements in their practices, said Salar Shemirani, the CEO at Regnefied. Maker’s Mark is scaling its sustainability efforts by establishing “The Maker’s Mark Regenerative Alliance” and has committed to transitioning a million acres of conventional farmland to regenerative over the next three years.
Star Hill Farm Whisky will be the first to carry an “Estate Whiskey” certification — a new designation by The Estate Whiskey Alliance™ group established by the University of Kentucky to highlight the advantages of local sourcing and sustainable production in the whiskey industry. Estate whiskey refers to a category that is produced entirely on the distillery estate, using grains sourced from estate-owned or controlled land. If you are a wheat producer, this might be a good whiskey to have on hand and serve friends and family. (Source: Food & Wine; Forbes, MakersMark)
