The Maker’s Mark story begins with a dream of Bill Samuels, Sr., a sixth generation family distiller. Well, as most rebellious distillers go, he didn’t like the family whisky very much. So he set out to do what anyone in his position would do. He decided to create his own style of bourbon whisky – one that was soft, smooth, clean and pleasant to the taste buds. We’re all lucky he did.

In 1953 he purchased and rebuilt the distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, to begin turning his dream into reality. And his dream was filled with all kinds of innovations. For example, he decided his new formula would contain winter wheat instead of the traditional rye as the flavor grain. As we so pleasantly know, the result was a softer taste that was gentle on the palate. But don’t think he was going to completely start from scratch. He was still committed to the family values passed down through the years. As far as he was concerned, his whisky would be handcrafted in small quantities, meaning he could be choosy about everything he did to craft his whisky before it ever went into the barrel.

Bill wasn’t alone in his pursuit for the perfect whisky. In fact, we should really thank Bill’s wife, Marge, for giving a name and face to Bill’s dream.  She insisted that the name of this new whisky reflect the mark of the maker, or Maker’s Mark. She didn’t stop there. As a collector of 19th century bottles of cognac, she noticed that many were sealed in colorful wax. This gave her a clever idea. Need a hint? She thought red sealing wax would be the perfect compliment to the bottle. And as we all know, to this day each and every bottle of Maker’s Mark is hand-dipped in our signature red sealing wax.

The Maker’s Mark distillery is the birthplace of handmade bourbon whisky. Originally built as a gristmill distillery, Maker’s Mark is the world’s oldest operating bourbon whisky distillery on its original site. Although, we did decide to give the o’l site a little facelift. In fact, it has been fully restored into a charming little Victorian distillery nestled in the hills of Kentucky.

When you arrive at the distillery, you’ll pass by the original toll-house. It’s a little reminder of the days when fees were levied for the use of the country roads. Today the Toll Gate Café is located within where you can enjoy lunch.

The Original Owner’s house is where the tour begins. And when you think about it, it’s really where it all began. The living room, office and kitchen have been restored to replicate the Samuel’s family home where Maker’s Mark was born.
The Quart House is believed to be America’s oldest remaining “retail whisky store.” This is where the distillery used to sell bourbon to the surrounding neighbors, circa 1889.

The next stop is one we hold very close to our hearts. It’s because it’s the heart of Maker’s Mark - The Still House. This is where the magic happens. It’s where you can see the whisky being made by hand every step of the way- mashing of the grains, distillation, and fermentation in the large cypress vats.

In the Bottling house, Maker’s Mark is bottled carefully and hand-dipped in our signature red sealing wax. And please don’t distract the dippers while they work.

And the last stop offers our most hands-on experience. It’s our tasting room and gift shop where visitors can try their hand at dipping their own bottle in the Maker’s Mark red wax.

Tour Hours
Monday - Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sundays 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Every hour on the half-hour 

Location
3350 Burks Spring Rd, Loretto, KY 40037
(270) 865-2099

Directions from Louisville
I-65 south, exit 112, Hwy. 245 east to Bardstown, US 150 east through center of Bardstown to KY 49 south to Loretto, follow brown signs.

Directions from Lexington
Blue Grass Pkwy. West to Bardstown exit, west on US 150 to KY 49 south to Loretto, follow brown signs.