Maker’s Mark has debuted a new series of visitor tours at the home of its whiskey making campus in Loretto, Kentucky.
Called Star Hill Farm Experiences, the tours are designed to provide guests with a deeper look at the 1,100 acres of natural land where Maker’s Mark Bourbon is made, and highlights the sustainability, agriculture and research initiatives that take place there.
In a statement from Maker’s Mark, the brand touted the Star Hill Farm Experiences as “a natural extension of the vision on which Maker’s Mark was founded,” calling Maker’s Mark co-founder Margie Samuels a “pioneering force behind bourbon tourism in the 1950s, opening the property to family, friends, curious locals and travelers before formal distillery tours existed.”
The statement goes on to explain that Samuels’ had a belief that people should be given the opportunity to see where and how their favorite products are made, and that’s the case with these new experiences.
“Since the founding of Maker’s Mark in 1953, achieving the distinctive flavor and quality of our whisky has remained a direct reflection of the environment that surrounds us,” said Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and grandson of the Maker’s Mark founders. “We’re proud to offer these new, immersive experiences that not only let visitors explore the natural beauty that Star Hill Farm has to offer, but also better understand and appreciate nature’s influence on the whisky in their glass.”
The Initial tour offerings now available for booking are:
- The Oak Experience: A first-hand introduction to the American oak tree from soil to sip, including a visit to the white oak research forest, a journey and toast to the Mother Oak tree (one of the oldest oaks in Kentucky), and the opportunity for guests to plant their own white oak.
- The Seasonal Star Hill Farm Tour: Invites guests on a sensory exploration of Star Hill Farm tailored to the season, including crop harvests, livestock visitation and discovery of ingredients grown on-property for the cocktail and culinary programs.
- The Maker’s Mark Art and Design Tour: A look at the world-class art and design featured throughout the property, all of which is designed in harmony with and in celebration of its natural surroundings on Star Hill Farm.
“In the past, our guests have only been able to explore a small piece of our home at Star Hill Farm,” said Amanda Humphrey, Star Hill Farm advocacy and experience manager. “With these experiences, we’re excited to invite those interested in learning more about Maker’s Mark to see, touch and interact with the wood, wheat and water that are essential to our bourbon.”
She said visitors can come forage for ingredients they use in bar and restaurant programs, meet the livestock that enrich the soil and call Star Hill Farm home, and see the environmental research projects they’ve undertaken first-hand.
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Humphrey noted that additional experiences will be introduced regularly and will vary based on the Kentucky seasons.
Future tour offerings will include truffle foraging, an apiary and beekeeping experience, an immersive look at their estate-grown grains, sorghum harvesting, and more.
These new tour offerings are available in addition to the classic Maker’s Mark distillery tours.
For more information or to book a tour, check out www.makersmark.com.
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