🥃 Star Hill Farm & The Soft Revolution: Wheat Whiskey Rises
Star Hill Farm
🌾 Bourbon Begins at the Farm
If you’ve ever sipped a pour of Maker’s Mark and thought, “Hmm, tastes like Kentucky,” you’re not wrong—but you’re probably underestimating just how literal that is.
In this episode of Tortured Bourbon, Heather and B take you behind the red wax curtain and straight into the soil of Star Hill Farm—Maker’s Mark’s 1,100-acre grain-growing, water-filtering, sustainability-championing bourbon utopia in Loretto, Kentucky.
This isn’t a set piece. It’s the real deal:
Soft red winter wheat grown onsite
A 10-acre spring-fed limestone lake
Compost tea, wildflower buffers, and no-till farming
A literal partnership with the University of Kentucky for regenerative agriculture
If you thought bourbon was just about barrels and branding, this farm-to-glass philosophy might just blow your corn-soaked mind.
🧪 The Bottle: 2025 Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whiskey
For the first time, Maker’s Mark bottled something not under their own label but under the Star Hill Farm name. And what they released? A 100 proof American Wheat Whiskey that showcases the elegance of wheat like never before.
“It’s a ballet, not a brawler,” B explains.
Specs:
Name: Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whiskey (2025 Release)
Type: American Wheat Whiskey (not bourbon!)
Mash Bill: Majority soft red winter wheat, plus corn & malted barley
Proof: 100
Age: ~4–6 years
Distillery: Maker’s Mark
MSRP: ~$70
👃 What You’re Supposed to Smell & Taste
Nose:
Orange creamsicle
Vanilla custard
Light nutmeg
Fresh-cut hay
Palate:
Creamy texture
Toasted marshmallow
Honeyed cereal
Chamomile
Ripe pear
Finish:
Medium length
Toasted grain
Gentle, mellow spice
Heather called it “summer on a farm in a glass.”
B said it “knocks before entering your mouth.”
It’s that kind of pour.
🎙️ Our Tasting & Ranking
We saved the tasting for the camera, but what we can say is this:
Wheat is no longer playing second fiddle. It’s the lead singer, the rhythm section, and maybe even the producer.
This bottle gave us all the gentle sweetness and floral depth of a warm Kentucky afternoon. The creamy, cereal-forward palate is a reminder that not all whiskey needs to punch you in the jaw to make a statement.
Heather’s Ranking: Hush Your Mouth
B’s Ranking: That Dog Will Hunt
(Spoiler: it’s climbing our summer sipping list fast.)
📺 Watch the Full Episode
Catch all the banter, backstory, and blind tasting in our full video:
