Maker’s Mark Star Hill Farm Wheat Whiskey (2025) Review

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Maker’s Mark has released special editions before, but Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky is different in two respects: it is the first time the distillery has released a whiskey that is not a bourbon and it’s the first bottle that comes from Maker’s Mark that has not been dipped in wax. This is a wheat whiskey with components that were distilled in 2016 and 2017. The barrels were aged for seven to eight years until they were batched up this year and bottled at cask strength at 114.7 proof.

For many of you, that’s all the more you need to know, so I give you permission to skip ahead to the tasting notes. But for everyone else, I dug in a little bit more to get the full story on this special release. Read on!

The concept behind Maker’s Mark wheat whiskey

The groundwork for this release was laid nearly a decade ago. In 2016, Maker’s began an agronomy (a fancy word for farming, basically) experiment at Star Hill Farm – their 1,100-acre property in Loretto, Kentucky. The project involved planting the same soft red winter wheat varietal across multiple fields to examine how soil, slope and exposure influenced flavor. Those trials led to a decision to distill wheat-only whiskey and to set it aside for long-term aging.

From a production standpoint, Maker’s held most of their variables steady. They used the same roller mill, yeast strain, 3-day fermentation cycle, still proof (130) and low entry proof (110) that define their standard bourbon process. What changed was barrel management.

Instead of rotating casks during maturation – as Maker’s proudly still does – these barrels were left in the same place in the same warehouse. These warehouses, by the way, are the four warehouses designed for small and experimental batches. They’re all much smaller than typical Maker’s warehouses and have six floors. This choice allowed warehouse location and the wood itself to exert more influence. Here’s a map of where those experimental warehouses are as well as some more info about where the barrels were plucked from:

Two mashbills were distilled for the project. The first was 70% soft red winter wheat and 30% malted barley. The second was 100% malted wheat. Five different oak barrel types were filled across these two recipes. When the barrels were dumped, the whiskies were vatted together for 30 days before bottling. The additional vatting time was intended to allow the components to integrate, a step more common in Scotch production than in Kentucky bourbon.

Maker’s has revealed that five different types of oak barrels were used. They don’t tell us how they’re different from one another, but we know one is marked as the “Control Barrel.” I’m going to assume that is their standard Char #3 American Oak barrel they source from ISC for their bourbon. I managed to find out that one of the four “experimental” barrels is made entirely from French Oak. This is a big deal because in the past Maker’s has only used exotic oaks in “stave” form (which look like 2 foot long thin planks of wood). Knowing that, I would assume the other barrels are made to mimic the staves found throughout their “Wood Finishing Series” releases. Just a guess, though.

Also, I wanted to throw in here that all of the barrels were supposedly sourced from Independent Stave Company (ISC) – even the French Oak ones!

About that grain…

The grain itself deserves a section to expand on. Star Hill Farm fields provided 78% of the grain for this project. The rest came from partner farms within 60 miles of the distillery. Maker’s currently has around 300 acres at Star Hill dedicated to growing wheat and barley with the goal of eventually using only estate-grown grain. The release is intended to serve as a “vintage” series, with proportions, varietals and woods expected to vary each year.

Certification documents from the Estate Whiskey Alliance (as well as the front label of the bottle) reveal the combined mash bill as 51% (un-malted) wheat, 27% malted wheat and 22% malted barley. Reverse-calculating from those figures reveals that roughly three-quarters of the blend came from the 70/30 recipe and the remaining quarter from the 100% malted wheat recipe.

The shift to regenerative agriculture at Star Hill Farm was not without difficulty. Garden & Gun Magazine reported that some longtime growers left the program during the transition – citing skepticism about the practices being adopted. The distillery’s willingness to absorb that friction suggests this release was never just about producing a new whiskey… it was about implementing and adopting broader agricultural goals with the final product in mind.

Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky is also the first product to carry the Estate Whiskey Alliance certification. The certification is third-party verified by the University of Kentucky and publicly lists grain percentages, estate contribution, and production oversight. In an industry that often prefers broad claims of provenance, this level of transparency is unusual. But I love them for it. We need to see more distilleries adopting this.

Sustainability credentials are also present. The distillery is “Regenified-certified.” In fact, the 10-page pamphlet that Maker’s Mark handed out with every bottle sold on their campus goes into lots of detail about it all. Maker’s has described this whiskey as part of its plan to link production with regenerative farming practices. Whether or not a consumer values that or not is up for debate. But Maker’s is going to use it as a way to establish precedence and distilleries who choose not to in the future may get left in the dust if consumers show a high level of value for it.

Limited Release?

Finally, accessibility was considered. The amount of bottles produced for Star Hill Farm Wheat Whiskey is said to be similar to Maker’s Cellar Aged series (so… 30k-40k bottles?) – but with a lower price point of “just” $100. Allocations are said to be limited but enthusiasts shouldn’t freak out just yet if they haven’t found one – I think nationwide distribution is quite slow.

If you can’t get one this year, just know that it’s an annual release. Maker’s says as much when they said that each subsequent release that will evolve based on grain availability and farming results. I bet this means we’ll see a few more wheat whiskey mash bills in the future.

One thing is for sure – the bottle won’t be wearing the signature red wax – ever. Spokesmen for Maker’s say that the wax will be reserved only for their bourbon. Instead, they have elected to make the topper resemble the pale off-white look of limestone (as in the limestone-filtered water used to make their whiskey). I also dig the look of the wavy-glass bottle which looks slightly “Arran”-esque (Scotch drinkers will know what I’m talking about). But looks aside, how does it taste? Let’s find out. A giant thanks to my friend James who has not only provided me with the opportunity to review this bottle, but was instrumental in giving me a ton of extra information about this release. As usual, I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose seems sweet right up front. There are scents of Werther’s Originals candies that combine with French vanilla creamer. Ginger snap cookies pair with cocoa powder and a hint of ground cinnamon. These add depth to every other scent here because they seem to spice it up. I’m sure the ginger part is a trait of the wheat in some way (I usually get it in rye whiskey) so I’m curious as to how they did it? For fruits, I find cherry and berry jam. There is a recognizable wood cleaner/oak note that’s quite different, but maybe I’m just new to having Maker’s Mark at this age (it’s similar to the oak notes of the first Cellar Collection). Finally, I get some Malt-o-Meal hot cereal. Honestly, there are more similarities to standard Maker’s than I was envisioning, but this is still its own whiskey in the end.

Palate: Cherry juice mingles with tart berries, raisins and a tiny hint of acetone. I find oak spice along with wood cleaner and ground cinnamon. This drinks slightly hotter than traditional Maker’s but is by no means unbearable. For fruit I find lemon custard, berries and citrus oils. As the session goes on, French Oak becomes a lot more noticeable. What makes it French? Cocoa notes coupled with a richer trannin spice taste and a sort of creaminess have been traits in the past that showcase that wood. I also find some baked goods and raw dough traits, although not much of the latter. It’s balanced, oily and a unique sipper.

Finish: I find the finish to be long lasting and sweet. There are lots of cinnamon red hots lingering with cherry juice, ginger ale, cocoa, toffee and raisin bread. Even vanilla bean hangs around with its pal ground pepper for a nice diversity. This is a flavorful finish that lasts for a long time.

Score: 8/10

Going into this whiskey, I had a fear that it would be as harsh and forgettable as a Bernheim Cask Strength Wheat Whiskey. But much to my surprise, I found a whiskey that had a lot in common with its red wax brother while being able to stand out from it in its own unique way.

The removal of corn from the mash bill and the addition of malted wheat created a smooth and creamy mouthfeel. The spices were mostly gentle and the French Oak influence was noticeable either through the cocoa flavors or the French vanilla notes. I was even impressed by the array of fruit notes I found throughout. Normally I just get cherries with Maker’s. This bottle was memorable in a lot of ways to me.

Final Thoughts

I appreciate everyone who managed to read this whole review because it was… a lot. But you know what? That’s kind of a hallmark of Maker’s Mark these days. They have become one of the premier distilleries in terms of transparency and product information. That means a lot to enthusiasts. I think it helps instill trust in the brand and more curiosity with their products. I would not necessarily consider myself a Maker’s fanboy, but I have to give credit where credit is due.

I think one of the highest praises I can sing to this bottle is just how unique it was. If you had asked me to list 5 distilleries that I would expect to find a totally unique product from this year, Maker’s wouldn’t even be on it. For years I’ve been clamoring for something new from the team. Honestly, I just wanted a true 12+ year old cask strength bourbon aged for its entire life in one of their warehouses, but this will do nicely.

For those curious about how wheat performs without corn, what malted wheat can add to the mix or if you’re just curious about heritage distillers that think outside the box – this is a release worth seeking out.