Star Hill Farm Whisky From Maker’s Mark Review (2025)

Star Hill Farm Whisky
American Wheat Whisky
2025 Release
114.7 Proof
Maker’s Mark Distillery
SRP: $100
Review

Please enjoy our Maker’s Mark Star Hill Farm Whisky Review (2025)!

The First New Mashbill and First Wheat Whisky in Maker’s Mark’s 70-Year History!

In early April 2025, Maker’s Mark announced the debut of Star Hill Farm Whisky. As it turned out, that was earth-shattering news. All of Maker’s Mark’s whiskies, up until now, were made from just one mash bill: 70% corn, 16% soft red winter wheat and 14% malted barley. Star Hill Farm Whisky is made from entirely different mash bills containing mainly wheat, with not a single kernal of corn. As anyone who has ever visited the distillery knows, Maker’s Mark strives for consistency. So, to hear that they were releasing something completely new, was very exciting indeed!

Star Hill Farm Whisky is not based on consistency. In fact, it is intended to evolve each year, “exploring flavors that soil, wheat, water and wood impart to quality ingredients when expertly blended, aged and grown regeneratively.” That’s quite a mouthful, but needless to say, the premise is very different from classic Maker’s Mark Bourbon.

The inaugural release of Star Hill Farm Whisky highlights soft red winter wheat — the distinctive grain in Maker’s Mark’s mashbill — but removes corn entirely. Therefore, Star Hill Farm Whisky is not a bourbon; it is a wheat whiskey. The 2025 release of Star Hill Farm Whisky is crafted from two mashbills: one with 70% soft red winter wheat and 30% malted barley, and the other with 100% malted soft red winter wheat. The components are a blend of 7-8 year-old whiskies, and it is bottled at cask strength.

Star Hill Farm Whisky Carries The Estate Whiskey Certification

Star Hill Farm Whisky will be the first to carry an Estate Whiskey Certification — a new designation by The Estate Whiskey Alliance™ group established by the University of Kentucky to highlight the advantages of local sourcing and sustainable production in the whiskey industry. Estate whiskey refers to a category that is produced entirely on the distillery estate, using grains sourced from estate owned or controlled land. In addition, Maker’s Mark is the first and only bourbon distillery to achieve B Corp Certification in Kentucky and the first distillery globally to achieve certification from Regenified™, the leading regenerative certification company.

Tasting Notes – Star Hill Farm Whisky by Maker’s Mark Distillery Review (2025)

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

🎨Color: Dark amber

👉🏻Nose: Mild simple syrup sweetness, sweet cherry candy, black cherry soda, dark toffee, whole wheat bread, mild graininess; tart orange peel; alcohol vapor appropriate for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Mildly sweet simple syrup and light honey; touch of whole wheat bread; dark toffee, prunes; hints of tart orange peel; beginnings of white pepper spice
👉🏻Finish: Growing white pepper spice; whole wheat bread; dry and fairly hot; mild dry oak and char; mild tart citrus; long with lingering heat

The Color

I rarely talk about the color of a bourbon, unless it is significantly different that other whiskeys. In this case, it is. Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whisky is an impressive dark amber in color. Just a joy to look at it in my glass!

The Flavors Evolve

The nose of Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whisky is mildly sweet from simple syrup, cherry candies and black cherry soda. There is a mild graininess, reminiscent of fresh whole wheat bread. In the background are some subtle richer flavors. There is dark toffee, which becomes more noticeable on future sips, as does the fresh whole wheat bread. Finally, the nose is rounded out by a tang from some tart orange peel. The alcohol vapor is appropriate for the proof.

The taste is fairly soft at first, and mildly sweet from dark toffee with dark fruit, perhaps prunes. There’s a bit of light honey and tart orange peel, as well as that whole wheat bread, too. However, the mouthfeel rapidly becomes more dry, with rising heat from white pepper spice, which continues throughout the finish. Later on, as the white pepper subsides a bit, the notes of fresh whole wheat bread return, as well as mild dry oak and char and notes of tart citrus. The flavors and dry mouthfeel linger for quite some time, leaving me with quite a bit of warmth.

What a Difference a Day Makes

As those who read my reviews know, I always taste whiskeys on multiple occasions. That is to ensure that I am getting the same flavors each time. I taste every whiskey until I do. The reason being that whiskeys can taste differently day to day. Sometimes, it is the whiskey – it might now have had a chance to “open up” a bit over time. Sometimes it is me; that extra cup of coffee, or those hot wings, just might not make a whiskey’s flavors taste as they ought to. In the case of Star Hill Farm Whisky, the flavors opened up considerably over the three days that I tasted it. So, bear that in mind as you open a fresh bottle of this whisky.

Wheat Whiskeys – A Bit of an Unknown

There are not a whole lot of wheat whiskeys out there. So, I don’t know how many people have a good feel for their flavor profile. Honestly, I am still learning, myself. We are told that wheat adds lighter and softer flavors to bourbon. However, that may or may not be true, depending on the type of wheat and the percentage, as well as other factors. As it turns out, when wheat is used as the primary grain, the resulting wheat whiskeys do not necessarily have subtle and light flavors at all. In my limited experience with them, that is especially true as they increase in age and in proof. In the case of Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whiskey, there is also a malted wheat component, which is certainly adding unique flavors of its own.

Combining the two wheat whiskey mash bills, the folks at Maker’s Mark have done a nice job creating a fairly complex wheat whiskey, which evolves from the nose to the finish. As someone with fairly ambivalent feelings towards wheat whiskeys in general, I have to say that I am enjoying drinking it quite a bit. In fact, as I taste it over multiple days, I am liking it more and more. Whether that is due to the whiskey improving with a little air, or me improving with a little more experience, is tough to tell.

Conclusion

Having said all that, Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whisky tastes nothing like any Maker’s Mark Bourbon. Of course, it isn’t meant to. Likewise, its packaging, which bears little resemblance to that of the Maker’s Mark Bourbons, is certainly meant to position it as a whole new stand-alone spirit. In that regard, Maker’s Mark has certainly done a wonderful job at avoiding any brand confusion. However, for a brand that has a devoted following and hasn’t had a new recipe since its inception, I can’t help but wonder who the target market for this whiskey might be? Wheat whiskeys in general are not particularly well-known or popular, so it will be interesting to see how this one is received. Maker’s Mark fans will most likely eagerly try it, but who its devotees will ultimately be will be interesting to see. As for me, I’m a fan!

Are you planning on giving the new Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whisky from Maker’s Mark a try? Have you already tried it? What are your thoughts? I’m interested to know. Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Star Hill Farm Whisky Review (2025)! If you would like to learn more about bourbons from this distillery, I have an informative overview article for you to peruse: Maker’s Mark Bourbon: Proof Matters. Also, you can read about the 2026 release of this whiskey here: Maker’s Mark Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky 2026 Review.

This bottle was graciously provided by the Brand for my review. Thank you!

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