Maker's Mark Is Changing How We Think About Wheat Whisky

"“Star Hill has been a really exciting journey that has taken the focus out of the distillery into nature,” says Rob Samuels, the managing director of Maker's Mark (Rob's grandparents started Maker's in 1953). “And traceability and transparency are a very, very important part of the story.”"

"Star Hill was the first whiskey to carry the Estate Whiskey Alliance certification, a relatively new label that recognizes whiskey that has its “grain grown, milled, cooked, fermented, distilled, barreled, aged and bottled within one estate.”"

"Maker's Mark has always used the same wheated mash bill (70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley) for its bourbon. Star Hill Farm Whisky - yes, they use the “whisky” spelling - will change every year. While the 2025 release spotlighted soft red winter wheat, the 2026 release introduces hard red and hard white wheat types."

"Star Hill Farm 2026 is crafted from two mash bills: one composed entirely of malted wheat and another of 70% wheat and 30% malted barley. The final blend is 27% wheat,"

Star Hill Farm Whisky is Maker’s Mark’s second limited release, an American wheat whiskey tied to Star Hill Farm. Maker’s Mark launched in 1953 and is known for square-ish bottles dipped in red wax and for using soft red winter wheat in its wheated bourbon mash bill. The Star Hill releases emphasize regenerative farming and expand the distillery into wheat whiskey production. The inaugural release introduced Maker’s Mark’s first new mash bill and first wheat whiskey in its 70-plus-year history, earning a World’s Best Wheat Whisky award. Star Hill was the first whiskey to carry Estate Whiskey Alliance certification, requiring grain grown, processed, distilled, aged, and bottled within one estate. The 2026 release uses hard red and hard white wheat with two mash bills blended to 27% wheat.

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