Since we’ve been talking about the evolution of Kentucky’s Bourbon tourism over the last few years, and the adjustments from distilleries like Heaven Hill and Angel’s Envy to give the die-hard consumers what they want, let’s talk about the evolution of Maker’s Mark distillery. The Loretto facility started by Bill Samuels in the 1950s (when he purchased the Burks’ distillery for $35,000) has gone from a quaint and simplistic singularity to a full out Napa-esque nature campus, complete with million dollar art installations, animal pastures, multiple vegetable gardens, mushroom farm, bee keeping, grain fields, two lakes, an apple grove, a blackberry patch, and a fantastic restaurant called Star Hill Provisions. In fact, we should probably stop calling it Maker’s Mark distillery at this point. When you visit the estate in Loretto, you’re now visiting Star Hill Farm.
It’s an incredible juxtaposition to see a giant gang of bikers—wearing Harley T-Shirts and leather, and who are clearly Maker’s Mark superfans—meander their way from a raucous Bourbon tasting into a quiet, farm-to-table restaurant with an emphasis on sustainable and local ingredients, but that’s the direction Kentucky’s Bourbon distilleries are headed. Not that I have any issue with the gentrification of Bourbon, mind you. I’m quite comfortable sitting back and watching capitalism take its course at this point, especially given that thousands of collectors have taken that capitalism into their own hands. It’s certainly much more enjoyable to have a delicious three course lunch from Star Hill Provisions before creating my Maker’s Private Selection than hang out in a stale board room and taste barrel samples. Couple it with the fact that the weather during every single visit I’ve ever made to Maker’s Mark has been nothing short of spectacular, and I will tell you flat out: there’s no distillery I look forward to visiting more than this one. It’s like a Bourbon Disneyland and I soak up every bit of that energy.
What other distillery can serve you a starter of fresh gazpacho sourced entirely from the gardens just next door to the restaurant?
Which other Kentucky producer keeps a herd of Wagyu cattle on hand for the explicit purpose of serving the most flavorful steaks to its guests? No one. You’ll never eat as well at any other stop on the Bourbon Trail as you will when you visit Maker’s Mark.
You’ll also find no better accommodations for a barrel selection than the clubhouse for trade and VIP guests situated next to Heritage Lake with a spectacular view of the water and a retracting door that opens onto a private deck. Ryan Paris drove us up to the lodge in an electric golf cart of sorts, meandering through the warehouses along the way, stopping to pop open a few 7+ year old single barrels in the process. We needed a control whiskey to compare against our Private Select creations.
I won’t bore you with the details of our tasting and blending session, but let’s just say that we ended up calling this barrel “American Dessert” because our goal was to design a whiskey that tasted like fruit cobbler and vanilla ice cream. We certainly did it. Look for that little number later in the year. In the meantime, get ready for a new five star bed and breakfast, along with a rooftop bar and cocktail lounge at Loretto’s Star Hill Farm. The evolution of Maker’s Mark from charming country distillery into upscale Bourbon resort and tourist destination is just getting started.
-David Driscoll