| Whiskey | Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky |
| Distillery | Maker’s Mark (Beam Suntory) |
| Region | Loretto, Kentucky |
| Type | American Wheat Whisky |
| Mash Bill | 51% Soft Red Winter Wheat, 27% Malted Wheat, 22% Malted Barley |
| Proof / ABV | 114.7 Proof / 57.35% ABV |
| Aging | ~6–7 Years |
| Filtration | Non-Chill Filtered |
| MSRP | $99 |
| Release Year | 2025 (Limited Edition) |
Aging Specifics: No Official Age Statement but Approximately 6-7 Years – Grains harvested, distilled, and barreled in Fall 2016 and Fall 2017)
Mash Bill: This whisky is a blend of 2 Mashbills
Mash Bill #1: 70% Soft Winter Wheat and 30% Malted Barley
Mash Bill #2: 100% Malted Soft Red Winter Wheat
The combination of the two results in the final mash bill:
- 51% Soft Red Winter Wheat
- 27% Malted Soft Red Winter Wheat
- 22% Malted Barley
Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky Tasting Notes
Appearance: Rich red amber
Nose: Cinnamon, brown sugar, caramel, cereal, baking spice, fruit, notes of citrus, toasted oak
Palate: Brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, hints of clove, wheat grain, cereal, pancakes with maple syrup, malt, caramel, very light notes of fruit and citrus
Finish: Creamy rich finish that leaves you with a nice caramel and maple sweetness followed by an almost candy-like cinnamon spice and fruit
What is Star Hill Farm?
Star Hill Farm is the 1,100-acre property surrounding the Maker’s Mark Distillery.
Maker’s Mark is focusing on regenerative agriculture which is a farming method that relies on nature to help restore soil nutrients and biodiversity.
Star Hill Farm is the land Marker’s Mark originally founded in 1953 officially established by Bill Samuels Sr. in Loretto, Kentucky.
They named the farm Star Hill Farm in the 2010’s when Maker’s Mark began investing heavily into grain-to-glass experiments, sustainability, and terroir studies which led to Maker’s Mark becoming the first distillery in the world to earn B Corp Certification highlight the role of Star Hill Farm in sustainable operations.
At first glance, you may think that all of this is just marketing to attract attention and allow catchy phrases on the packaging, but it is much more in-depth.
Key efforts include:
- No chemical pesticides or herbicides used on test plots
- Use of cover crops and crop rotation to maintain soil health
- A natural spring-fed water source preserved on-site (used for whiskey production)
- Composting spent grain and reusing it as fertilizer or feed
- Investing in solar power, carbon footprint reduction, and certified forest stewardship for barrel sourcing
After visiting Star Hill Farm and the Maker’s Mark Distillery, it is no surprise to me that they are investing this level of testing and sustainability to ensure their whisky and products are of the top quality.
They need to compete with many of the other big brands and from what I can see with the Wood Finishing Series and now this Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky, they are doing a nice job.
But enough about that, let’s get into the whisky itself!
Is Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky an Approachable Whisky?
Star Hill Farm’s Wheat Whisky is an extremely approachable whisky.
Not only is it full of sweet caramel and maple syrup flavors, it has a nice candy quality to it that most people are sure to enjoy, despite being a relatively high 114.7 Proof.
Is Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky Complex?
Star Hill Farm has a lot of layers and depth of flavor, much more than I expected.
I’m a huge fan of Maker’s Mark and it’s one of my dad’s favorite distilleries, so I’ve definitely had my share from the Star Hill Farm crop.
Enjoy some photos from when we visited the distillery…
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this new release since it is no longer a bourbon and focuses solely on the soft red winter wheat grown at the Star Hill Farm (and malted barley of course).
When I cracked this bottle open with my dad, we were both pleasantly surprised!
I feel like this bottle has a bit more structure than some of the other Maker’s Mark whiskys and that is a very good thing.
At the core, you get very full cereal grain and malt flavors that provide this whisky with a solid base to build on.
You then get a lovely caramel and almost maple syrup sweetness followed by rich cinnamon sweetness that reminds of delicious candies paired with delicate fruit notes.
The finish is rich and full, but not overpowering.
You get a nice texture throughout your mouth on each sip, but not much heat or burn.
It has a very delicate balance that is quite nice to sip on.
What are Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky’s strongest attribute is that it is the first whisky from Maker’s Mark to be made with no corn at all.
This is a nice change of pace and gives you a much different flavor profile that I am a fan of.
As I’m reviewing this bottle, I am comparing to other Maker’s Mark Bourbons like the 2023 Wood Finishing Series BEP, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, and the regular base Maker’s Mark.
While you still get the wheat flavor profile in other bottles, the structure and prominence of the wheat is much richer in this Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky.
How Does Star Hill Farm Stack Up Against Other Wheat Whiskys?
Star Hill Farm is one of the better wheat whiskys I have tasted.
Other favorites of mine include Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey (Barrel Proof in particular), Heaven Hill’s new Grain to Glass Wheat Whiskey, and even though they are wheated bourbons we could compare it to well-known whiskeys like Weller Special Reserve and Larceny Barrel Proof.
Of these bottles, I would say that Star Hill Farm is toward the top of the list.
It has nice rich flavors, excellent structure, and isn’t extremely hot for its proof.
I think I may still choose a Larceny Barrel Proof over the Star Hill Farm, but that’s only because I love the high proof point on the Larceny which gives it a bigger punch of flavor.
An advantage to Star Hill Farm is that it uses a 100% malted wheat in the blend which is pretty rare and unique in a whiskey. This helps add to it’s unique flavor profile.
Is Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky a go-to whisky?
Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky is a little pricey at $100 per bottle, but even at that price I could still consider it a go-to whisky.
I’m not sure how often I would buy this bottle were it readily available (which it’s not) but it is tasty enough that I would drink a bottle of this on a regular basis no problem.
My hope is that this may become a regular line of whisky for them and could become readily available on the shelves in the future (although maybe at a lower age statement).
Is Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky priced accurately to its quality?
This 2025 Limited Release bottle of Star Hill Farm is priced accurately to its quality.
I think the bottle lives up to the $99 price tag and since it is only $20 more than their other limited release lineups, I think the price for this first-of-the-series bottle is worth the price I paid.
Would I pay more?
Not really. I think they priced it just right and I would only pay more if you’re a big fan of Maker’s Mark and want to be sure to try this specific release since it is limited.
I will say though, if they end up releasing a $60-80 version of this bottle in the future, I would absolutely be eyeing this to be a regular go-to bottle.
Conclusion for Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky
Star Hill Farm’s 2025 Wheat Whisky Release is a nice surprise bottle that I wasn’t expecting.
I can tell that Maker’s Mark is proud of this product and is doing a great job of promoting that this whisky is locally grown and farmed to “showcase the influence of our land. Nature as the maker.”
Of course, this is certainly good marketing, but after visiting their distillery and experiencing the whisky on their home turf, I think this is an excellent step for them to experiment with and I’m happy to have been able to find a bottle on the release here in Pennsylvania.
Let Us Know What You Think
I hope you enjoyed this tasting experience with me.
If you decide to give this bottle a shot, please let me know on social media via Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Thanks for reading and cheers!
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