* Note: This article uses information from the U.S. Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Whiskey labels are approved by the TTB weeks or months ahead of their release and public announcement, so details about pricing and availability aren’t available yet. Furthermore, any proof statements on the label may be placeholders and might change before the official release announcement. However, everything else on the label will appear as it does here, so this gives us a great early look at an upcoming release.
Star Hill Farm Wheat Whiskey is an upcoming whiskey from Maker’s Mark. It is the first release from the distillery to use a recipe other than their classic 70% Corn, 16% Soft Red Winter Wheat, 14% Malted Barley wheated bourbon mashbill.
The wheat whiskey recipe for this release uses 81% wheat (61% soft red winter wheat, 20% malted soft red winter wheat) and 19% malted barley.
Maker’s Mark sits on 1,100 acres of farmland that is known as Star Hill Farm. All bottles feature an “Star S IV” insignia, where the star represents the farm, IV is for Bill Samuels Sr., a fourth generation family distiller and founder of Maker’s Mark. Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whiskey features a new “Star S VIII” brand, representing Rob Samuels, 8th generation whiskey maker.
In 2023, Star Hill Farm was awarded Regenified Certification, which recognizes progress in regenerative agriculture practices. The organization “certifies farms and ranches and their products that repair, rebuild, revitalize and restore the function of the ecosystem and regenerate the soil for future generations.”1Star Hill Farm, Home to Maker’s Mark® Bourbon, Becomes the First Distillery Homeplace to Earn Regenified Certification – Press Release Star Hill was the first farm in Kentucky to receive this distinction.
“Our ambition to act as a force for good in all that we do includes our commitment to being good stewards of the land and our soil at the homeplace of Maker’s Mark. After all, bourbon is nature, distilled.”
– Rob Samuels, Maker’s Mark Chief Operating Officer
In August 2023, Maker’s Mark began offering two new tours at the distillery that highlight nature’s influence on whiskey, The Oak Experience and The Star Hill Farm Tour. The Oak Experience gives guests the opportunity to plant a white oak and visit the white oak research forest, and The Star Hill Farm Tour explores the farm, crop harvests and livestock visitation.
The label for this expression is also sustainably made, using 100% recycled materials, spent wheat fibers, and paper waste from the distillery.
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Front label
Back label
