Maker's Mark Distillery Tours & Info
A tour guide's tips, reviews, FAQs, and more!
About Maker's Mark Distillery Tours
When you ask our owner what his favorite bourbon tour is, he will always tell you it’s the Maker’s Mark tour. Any tour offered on the Maker's property is highly-curated and offers something you can't get anywhere else. There are potentially a hundred people touring here on a busy day so it can be a little crowded at times. But, it's also a place that should be on any bourbon lover's bucket list. This place is also wildly historic, innovative, and close to our personal origin story!
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Our team loves to visit Maker's Mark for a tour, for lunch, to grab a cocktail, and to hand-dip bottles in wax. And we are always excited about taking guests here to do the same! We rarely hear that the Maker’s Mark tour wasn’t the favorite tour of the day when our guests are visiting the Bardstown region.
We offer visits to Maker's Mark on any of our Bardstown area pick-3 and transportation packages, Please see our website for details and options!
A Brief History
Maker's Mark Distillery
Maker’s Mark sits on the property that was home to one of the oldest distilleries in America. In the early 1800’s, a Kentucky settler family, the Burks, moved to present-day Loretto along Hardin Creek. The property grew to have a working farm, multiple outbuildings, and, importantly, a gristmill. The family started making whiskey on their property, as many settlers/farmers did and eventually grew their distilling operation to a full-sized distillery. In the early 1900s Burk’s Spring Distilling Co. was formally founded and produced whiskey until Prohibition.
A Brief History
The Samuels Connection
After changing hands several times, the distillery went under and went up for sale in 1951. Prior to that, not too far from this distillery, the Great Grandfather of Maker’s Mark’s founder Bill Sr. owned a distillery donned with his family name, the T.W Samuels Distillery. Bill Sr. (Maker’s Mark Founder) was involved with tnis distillery, which is where his dreams of having his own distillery likely took root. In 1953, about a decade after leaving T.W Samuels, Bill Sr. purchased the Burks (old Gristmill) Distillery to once again try his hand at the family business.
A Brief History
A New Recipe
Maker’s Mark tells this story much better than we do, so be sure to take their tour and save some questions for the Maker’s team! Anyway, it is said that Bill Sr. tried using his family recipe for bourbon when he fired up his still, but it was quite awful. And that’s when he started experimenting with wheat and a variety of grains to find the mash-bill that would later become his legacy brand, Maker’s Mark. With the artistic touch from his wife, Margie, the two perfected the product’s presentation, packaging, taste, and signature red wax.
A Brief History
The Present-Day
If you visit the property today, you'll find homages to Bill Sr., Margie, and the Burks throughout the grounds. You'll also learn about the legacies of Bill Jr. and later Rob Samuels, who later had their own impacts on the Maker's brand. Over the past decade, the distillery has received an update with renovations to the grounds, gift shop, and visitor's center. And in the current era, you'll find many colorful art installations throughout the property. You might also notice, that there's a huge emphasis on water conservation, sustainable farming, and agriculture at Maker’s Mark and Starhill Farms so its whiskey can be enjoyed for generations to come.
** Please note, we try to keep these descriptions vague. If we told you everything, why would you come for yourself?! We encourage you to do a Maker's Trace tour on your own and save some questions for the staff once there. **
Maker's Mark Distillery Tour Options
The most popular tour is the flagship tour, the “Maker’s Mark Tour.” There are other options such as a walking tour, farm tours, and special events, so there is a little something for everyone! You will see new offerings added fairly frequently, so even if you’ve done a Maker’s Mark tour before, it’s worth checking to see what’s new.
Maker's Mark Tour FAQs & Additional Info
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Hours
Location
Mon - Sat: 9:30-5:00 PM
Sun: 10-5
Loretto, KY