LORETTO, KENTUCKY

Visit the home of Maker’s Mark

Maker’s Mark welcomes visitors to Star Hill Farm, a beautiful campus in Loretto where the landscape is part of the bourbon story. The brand is known for its hand-dipped red wax, but a visit reveals more than its instantly recognizable bottle. Guests can explore the grounds, learn about the Samuels family’s approach to making bourbon, and discover how ingredients and aging shape the finished whiskey. The distillery combines a warm, personal sense of hospitality with a carefully preserved setting. It is an appealing destination for visitors who want to connect bourbon’s flavor, design, and heritage in one place.

The history behind the distillery

Maker’s Mark grew from the Samuels family’s long connection to whiskey. In the 1950s, Bill Samuels Sr. set out to create a bourbon he would enjoy drinking, changing the family’s recipe and choosing soft red winter wheat in place of rye. His wife, Margie Samuels, helped shape the brand’s name, label, bottle, and now-famous red wax seal. The first Maker’s Mark bourbon was released in 1958, and the hand-dipped wax remains a visible link between the original idea and every bottle made today. The family chose Star Hill Farm for its water and rural setting, establishing a homeplace where the bourbon’s identity and the beauty of the surrounding land are closely tied.

What visitors can take away

Star Hill Farm is central to the Maker’s Mark experience. Its open landscape, water source, and carefully maintained surroundings help visitors understand why the Samuels family chose this place for the distillery. The red wax seal is the most recognizable visual detail, but the story also reflects a deliberate set of choices about recipe, branding, and hospitality. Bill Samuels Sr.’s preference for a softer, balanced bourbon led to the use of red winter wheat, while Margie Samuels helped create a bottle and label that would stand out. Guests can follow those choices from the farm setting to the finished bottle and see how a family’s creative decisions became a defining part of the brand’s identity. The result is a visit that links a memorable visual signature with the people and place behind it.