2026 Release
This is the first-ever American wheat whisky from the Maker's Mark distillery.
Star Hill Farm Whisky aims to capture as much flavour from grain to glass, by honouring the flavour and processes of nature.
Like 2025, Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 is Estate Whiskey certified by the Estate Whiskey Alliance. This prestigious achievement demonstrates our commitment to sustainable production methods and local sourcing efforts.
Our 2026 release builds upon our soft red winter wheat — the signature grain of the Maker’s Mark mash bill — and layers in hard red and hard white wheat, revealing how diversity in the grain deepens flavor as it unfolds through distillation, maturation, and blending.
And the result? A darker, denser aroma, a more complex flavor profile with amplified fruit, and proof that whisky simply tastes better when you treat nature well. Crafted from three different types of wheat and masterfully blended to create a complex but rounded whisky:
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Soft Red Winter Wheat: Rich sweetness with cinnamon and fig notes.
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Hard White Wheat: Silky texture with vibrant complexity.
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Heirloom Hard Red: Fruity brightness with lingering spice.
Tasting Notes:
Aroma: Dark and dense with notes of molasses, fig, and delicate spice.
Taste: Vibrant and complex with notes of zesty citrus, ripe pear, shortbread.
Finish: Lingering and harmonious with notes of rich sweetness and soft cinnamon.
"Maker’s Mark's 2026 edition of Star Hill Farm Whisky is a wildly different and more expressive wheat whiskey release than the previous edition, thanks to further exploration of the components that make up its unique wheat-based mashbill." - Eric Hasman, Breaking Bourbon (Well Above Average)
"What a different ride this is vs. the 2025 — which I tasted side by side as I wrote this review — and clear evidence about what a difference wheat varieties (and malting) can make in the finished product. Everything here feels more refined and fully realized — though to be honest the finished product is now closer to many bourbons I’ve tried than you might expect (or want). Not that I mind." - Christopher Null, Drinkhacker (95 Points)
"Traditional bourbon drinkers should find plenty to enjoy here. It is also the kind of release that rewards buying into the larger series. Because Maker’s Mark plans to let Star Hill Farm evolve rather than repeat itself, each bottle captures a different stage of the experiment." - Artfully Bourbon
"Star Hill Farm has the thickest mouthfeel of any whiskey I’ve tasted in 2026, and the flavor profile is sweet and delicious. There’s not much to knock here; flat out incredible stuff. Kudos, Maker’s." - David Morrow, The Daily Pour (96 Points)
