Maker's Mark Distillery Tour Guide 2026
Updated October 2026 · BourbonTown Tours
Maker's Mark Distillery is on Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky, about 30 minutes south of Bardstown and about 80 minutes from Louisville. The distillery became a National Historic Landmark on December 16, 1980, listed as Burks' Distillery. It is open Monday through Saturday 9:30 to 5 and Sunday 10 to 5. The Classic Maker's Mark Tour runs about an hour and fifteen minutes, and any guest can dip a bottle in the signature red wax at the gift shop with no reservation. Maker's Mark books tours about six weeks out. BourbonTown Tours has run 3,000+ private tours since 2012. This guide covers every tour, how bottle dipping works, what you can do without a ticket, and how we pair Maker's Mark with Willett and Bardstown Bourbon Company in one day.
Maker's Mark Quick Facts
- Address 3350 Burks Spring Rd, Loretto, KY 40037
- Cluster Bardstown and beyond, about 30 minutes south of Bardstown
- Drive time From Louisville, about 50 minutes to Bardstown, then about 30 minutes on to Loretto; from Lexington, about 75 minutes to Bardstown, then about 30 minutes on
- Visits Classic Maker's Mark Tour, 1 hour 15 minutes; Behind the Bourbon Tour, 2 hours; Signature Tour with Wax Dipping, about 2 hours; Whisky Creek Walking Tour, 1 to 1.25 hours
- Hours Monday through Saturday 9:30 AM to 5 PM; Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM
- Time to allow Two hours, because of checkout lines and bottle dipping
- Without a tour Grounds, gift shop, walk-in bottle dipping and Homeplace Bar, no reservation needed
- Dining Star Hill Provisions, 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM daily; Homeplace Bar grab-and-go, 10 AM to 4 PM daily
- Booking window Maker's Mark books tours about six weeks out
- Payment on site Card only
- Tickets Included, booked once your tour is confirmed; the dipped bottle is the guest's
What Makes Maker's Mark Different
Maker's Mark uses red winter wheat instead of rye as the secondary grain in its mash bill. Most Kentucky bourbons use rye, which produces a spicier, sharper character. The wheat substitution makes Maker's softer and sweeter, with a rounder profile that works well for people newer to bourbon and stays recognizable for experienced tasters.
Every barrel at Maker's Mark is rotated by hand through the aging warehouses during maturation. Moving barrels from floor to floor as they age evens out the temperature variation across the warehouse and produces a more consistent final product. At Maker's Mark production volumes, this is expensive and labor-intensive. Maker's has done it since Bill Samuels Sr. founded the modern distillery in 1953.
The red wax on every bottle is applied by hand, not by machine. That fact is what makes the hand-dipping experience meaningful rather than a gimmick. You are doing exactly what production staff do on every bottle that leaves Star Hill Farm.
Every Tour Available at Maker's Mark in 2026
Maker's Mark offers a wide range of tours. Every guided experience requires an advance reservation. Walk-in tour spots occasionally open on weekdays but are not guaranteed.
Maker's Mark opens tour bookings about six weeks ahead, so the calendar fills in a rolling window rather than all at once. Saturdays in October, April and May go first. Once your private tour is confirmed, we book the experience that fits your group, whether that is the Classic, Behind the Bourbon, the Signature Tour with Wax Dipping or a walking tour, and list the time in your itinerary. Some experiences are 21 and over only, so tell us when you request a quote if anyone in the group is under 21.
The Classic Maker's Mark Tour
Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes. When you book through BourbonTown Tours, the Maker's Mark tour ticket and tasting fees are part of the private tour rate: $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. The rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity, and we book every reservation.
The standard tour. You walk through the campus, see the key production buildings including the cypress wood fermentation vats, hear the founding family's history, and finish with a guided tasting of several Maker's Mark expressions. The guides are knowledgeable. The pace is relaxed. This is not a march-through-the-factory experience.
Budget more total time than the 75-minute official runtime. Between parking, the walk to the visitor center, checkout lines and bottle dipping, allow two hours on the property.
Behind the Bourbon Tour
Duration: 2 hours.
The production deep-dive. You go further into grain selection, mashing, fermentation in the cypress wood vats, distillation, warehouse aging, the cistern room, and the bottling line. The tasting at the end includes limited and cask-strength expressions not poured on the standard tour.
If your group knows their bourbon and has visited other distilleries before, this is worth the extra time. If it is the group's first distillery experience, start with the Classic. The depth here can overwhelm people who are still learning to identify differences between expressions.
The Remarkable Experience
Duration: 2.5 hours.
Maker's Mark's most expansive option. Starts with a welcome cocktail and moves through a progressive tasting journey across Star Hill Farm, covering multiple outdoor and indoor locations on the property. The pours include limited expressions. The storytelling and history go deeper than any other tour.
This is a half-day commitment. Plan nothing immediately before it. Do not rush to another distillery after. Squeezing this between two other stops shortchanges your time at one of the best properties we visit.
It suits corporate groups, anniversary trips, and serious bourbon enthusiasts.
Signature Tour with Wax Dipping
Duration: approximately 2 hours total. Bottle dipping is one of the hands-on experiences we add to a private day. The tour sits inside our rate; dipping means buying the bottle, and that bottle is on the guest. Tell us your group wants it when you request a quote and we build it into the day.
Here is exactly how it works, step by step:
- You complete the standard Classic Maker's Mark tour.
- After the guided tasting, the group moves to the hand-dipping area.
- Each guest buys a 750ml bottle to dip.
- You submerge the bottle neck-first into a vat of warm red wax at the right angle and speed. Staff demonstrate the technique and guide every person through it.
- The bottle lifts out, rotates slowly while excess wax drains.
- It cools on a rack while you take photos.
- You walk out with a bottle hand-dipped by you, labeled with your name, specific to your visit.
Build at least 2 full hours into your schedule for this experience. The tour plus dipping plus collecting everyone's bottles plus the gift shop adds up fast.
Whisky Creek Walking Tour
Duration: 1 to 1.25 hours.
A scenic walk along Whisky Creek through the Star Hill Farm grounds with three pours of Maker's Mark included along the route. Your guide shares the history and culture of the property as you walk. Less about the bourbon-making process, more about the land and the story behind it.
Best in late September through November when fall colors peak on the Kentucky hillsides. One of the more underrated experiences Maker's Mark offers and far less crowded than the production tours.
Weather-dependent and may be offered seasonally.
Additional Experiences
Maker's Mark also offers the Wax Drips and Honey Tour, approximately 1 hour, covering the pollinator habitats and beekeeping operations on Star Hill Farm paired with a bourbon pour or cocktail. The Star Hill Farm Tour, approximately 90 minutes, focuses on the regenerative agriculture side of the property with bourbon tastings along the route. Both require advance reservation.
Maker's Mark adds seasonal events and limited-run workshops throughout the year, including cocktail classes and Wood Finishing Series release tastings. Check the distillery events page when booking.
BourbonTown Tours handles every Maker's Mark reservation, builds your full itinerary around what is actually available on your dates, and picks your group up at your hotel or door in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington. Airport pickup can be arranged. Tell us your dates and we will take it from there. Or call 1-844-BOURBON.
Preston was wonderful. He shared some interesting facts and information along the way, as well as some great recommendations for the rest of our stay in Louisville. He planned the perfect itinerary for our day in bourbon country!
My group had a great experience with BourbonTown Tours from start to finish! From speaking and emailing with Ron to get our transportation and itinerary ironed out, to spending the day with our driver, Reid.
Our coordination leading up to our tour was great, communication was great. Our driver Tommy was professional, knowledgeable, and punctual. Would absolutely recommend them and use them in the future.
Who This Tour Is For
✓ PERFECT FOR
- ✓ Photographers: the grounds are striking year-round.
- ✓ Visitors who want a hands-on souvenir (dip your own bottle).
- ✓ Couples and romantic getaways.
- ✓ Fans of wheated, sweeter bourbons.
Consider another stop if
- You want high-proof, bold bourbon. Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg pours bigger. See the Wild Turkey distillery guide.
- You want to taste across many brands in one stop. Heaven Hill in Bardstown makes a wide portfolio. See the Heaven Hill distillery guide.
- You have one day and Buffalo Trace is also on the list. Loretto and Frankfort sit in different clusters, so we split them across two days. Our Buffalo Trace distillery guide plans the Frankfort half of that split.
Pro tip: allow two hours at Maker's Mark when the group is dipping bottles.
What You Can Do at Maker's Mark Without a Tour Reservation
You do not need a tour ticket to visit Star Hill Farm. The grounds are open to walk-ins during operating hours, and there is a lot to see and do.
The gift shop carries the full Maker's Mark lineup plus limited releases, merchandise, and items not available in retail stores. The gift shop is worth visiting even when you have a full tour booked.
The Homeplace Bar serves Maker's Mark cocktails and light bites. It is a proper bar with a relaxed, outdoor-friendly setting near the campus core. Sit down, order something, and take in the grounds.
Walk-in bottle dipping at the gift shop is separate from the Signature Tour experience. If the guided dipping is sold out on your date, ask at the gift shop about walk-in availability. You can dip a bottle without a tour reservation. This option fills on busy days, so arrive early if walk-in dipping is your goal.
The campus itself is worth the drive with no tour booked at all. The black and red historic buildings against Kentucky hillsides, the ponds, Whisky Creek, and the scale of Star Hill Farm make it one of the most photogenic distilleries we visit. Nobody rushes you off the grounds.
How to Combine Maker's Mark with Willett and Bardstown Bourbon Company in One Day
Maker's Mark, Willett Distillery, and Bardstown Bourbon Company all sit within the Bardstown cluster (see our Willett distillery guide and every Kentucky distillery we visit, by cluster). You can visit all three in a single day. The question is how to make that day actually work rather than just survive it.
Whether you do the full tour at Maker's or just the tasting, whether you reach Willett in the morning or the afternoon, whether Bardstown Bourbon Company anchors the afternoon or becomes a late-day pour, all of that gets determined by what is available on your specific date. The combination that delivers three great experiences rather than three rushed stops requires knowing which slots are open across all three distilleries and building the sequence around what actually fits. Heaven Hill is in the same cluster; see the Heaven Hill distillery guide.
BourbonTown Tours builds this kind of day around your dates. We know the real visit time at each stop versus what the distillery website says. We know which order routes efficiently based on where the distilleries sit relative to each other. We know when to prioritize the full tour at Maker's and when to take the tasting only and move on, based on what is open that day. James B. Beam in Clermont is in the same cluster; see our Jim Beam visitor guide.
The day also changes after it starts. A tour runs long. A private event cuts into walk-in access at one stop. Weather shifts what works outdoors. BourbonTown Tours adjusts in real time. We know the backup options within the Bardstown cluster (see the Preservation distillery guide), how to resequence the afternoon without losing the best parts, and how to protect the experiences that matter most to your group.
You tell us your dates and what you want to see. We check availability across the cluster, build the itinerary around what is actually open, handle every reservation, pick you up at your hotel or door in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington, and manage the day from pickup to drop-off.
Why Maker's Mark and Buffalo Trace rarely share a day
It is the pairing guests ask for most, and we usually say no to it on a single day. Maker's Mark is in Loretto, about 30 minutes past Bardstown. Buffalo Trace is in Frankfort, about 50 minutes from Bardstown in the other direction. Each one deserves about two hours on the ground. Put both in one day and the drive takes the place of a third distillery, and three stops is the format that works best. Custom tours typically run three stops, and we can add or subtract on your planning call. Loretto is the end of the line, not the middle. Our usual answer is two days: Maker's Mark with Willett or Bardstown Bourbon Company on one, the Frankfort cluster on the other. If Buffalo Trace is on the trip, contact us at least 10 weeks out.
On-Site Dining: Star Hill Provisions
Star Hill Provisions is Maker's Mark's farm-to-table restaurant on the property, open 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM daily. We confirm it is open on your date and book the lunch reservation; the meal is on your tab. The Homeplace Bar in the Visitor Center runs grab-and-go food and cocktails from 10 AM to 4 PM daily for groups whose schedule has no room for a sit-down lunch.
The kitchen uses ingredients from Star Hill Farm and local Kentucky producers. This is not a distillery cafeteria. The food is good.
If your timing puts the group at Maker's Mark around midday, eating here makes sense. It extends the experience naturally, gives the tasting time to settle, and sets up the afternoon stop at Willett or BBC with a proper foundation. We book the table for your group.
When to Visit Maker's Mark
Fall, September through November, is Maker's Mark at its best. The campus turns with Kentucky hardwoods, temperatures drop to comfortable walking weather, and the Whisky Creek Walking Tour becomes one of the most scenic walks we know. October, April and May are the peak months.
Summer brings longer daily hours and more tour start times, but also higher visitor volume and more competition for weekend slots. The Homeplace Bar works well outdoors in summer evenings if your schedule allows for a later visit.
Winter, January through early March, is the quietest time of year. For the dipping experience without competing for Saturday slots, weekday winter visits are an easy path to the full Maker's Mark experience without stress.
Spring, April through early June, offers good weather. Derby Week, the first week of May, is a special case. Louisville hotels and the surrounding region fill completely. If your trip overlaps with Derby week, book 4 to 6 months ahead. See how to plan a Kentucky bourbon trip.
Tell us your October or November dates and we book against them once your tour is confirmed. Or call 1-844-BOURBON.
What to Wear and Practical Logistics
The Maker's Mark campus involves walking between buildings, along outdoor paths, and across farm grounds. Closed-toe walking shoes or sneakers are the right choice. Some paths are gravel or packed dirt. Production building floors can be slick.
Layer your clothing for spring and fall visits. Even on warm days, barrel warehouses and production buildings run cold. A light jacket covers most situations from April through October.
Bring sunscreen and a hat for summer visits, particularly for the farm tours and Whisky Creek Walking Tour, which spend significant time outdoors.
Arrive at least 20 minutes before your tour start time with a valid ID. Maker's Mark requires age verification at the beginning of every experience. Groups that arrive late risk losing their reservation slot.
Maker's Mark is card only on site, so leave the cash at home. Taxi service around Loretto is very limited or unavailable, so plan your ride back before you go. That is one of the main reasons groups book a private driver for this stop. Only licensed service animals are allowed on campus, and there is no pet waiting area. The campus is accessible, with a shuttle from the Homeplace to the heart of campus, and Maker's Mark offers tours in American Sign Language. Our larger vehicles all accommodate wheelchairs. Closed-toe shoes are required.
The parking lot is large. On high-volume weekend days, arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your tour to account for parking and the walk to the visitor center.
BourbonTown Tours Pro Tip
"Allow two hours for Maker's Mark, because of checkout lines and bottle dipping. The drive from Louisville is longer than it looks on a map. The grounds deserve more time than a quick sprint through the tour. One good order: Maker's Mark in the morning with fresh palates, time on the campus, lunch at Star Hill Provisions if the timing works, then Willett or Bardstown Bourbon Company in the afternoon. That day works because we build it around what is actually available that day. The order and what you do at each stop gets set once we know which slots we can get. Some days you do the full tour at Maker's and the tasting only at Willett. Other days it flips based on what opened up. Three great experiences, not three rushed stops. That is the difference."
BourbonTown Tours, 3,000+ private tours since 2012
We check availability across the Bardstown cluster and build your day from there.
Bourbon basics
Maker's Mark is a wheated bourbon, which makes it a good place to learn how the grain recipe changes the glass; these guides explain it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Maker's Mark Tour worth it?
Yes. The Classic Maker's Mark Tour runs about an hour and fifteen minutes across Star Hill Farm and ends with a tasting of wheated bourbon, softer and sweeter than rye-recipe bourbons. Allow two hours, because of checkout lines and bottle dipping. It suits first-time visitors, couples and anyone who wants to seal a bottle in red wax by hand.
Do I need a reservation to visit Maker's Mark Distillery?
Only for a guided tour. The grounds, gift shop, Homeplace Bar and bottle dipping at the gift shop need no reservation. Maker's Mark is open Monday through Saturday 9:30 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. Gift shop dipping can get busy on weekends, so on a private day we plan the stop early.
How far in advance do I need to book Maker's Mark tours?
Maker's Mark opens its tour bookings about six weeks out. Two to four months ahead is best. Fall and spring weekends fill first, so plan earlier for those seasons. We can sometimes build a day on a week's notice, but distillery tours may already be full. Bourbon Festival in mid-September needs 6+ months and Derby week 4 to 6 months. If Buffalo Trace is on another day of the trip, contact us at least 10 weeks out.
How long does the Maker's Mark bottle dipping experience take?
Dipping adds 15 to 30 minutes, depending on group size. Allow two hours at Maker's Mark in total, because of checkout lines and bottle dipping, and leave time for the gift shop and the Homeplace Bar. Any guest can dip at the gift shop without a tour reservation. The bottle you seal is bought from the distillery, so it is paid for by the guest.
What does a Maker's Mark tour cost with BourbonTown Tours?
A private BourbonTown tour runs $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. The Maker's Mark tour ticket, tasting fees and private transportation are included, and we book every reservation. Lunch and driver gratuity are not included. If anyone dips a bottle, that bottle is bought at the distillery and is on the guest. Call 1-844-BOURBON for a quote.
Can kids go to Maker's Mark?
Yes, on some experiences. Guests under 21 must be with a parent or guardian, and some experiences are 21 and over only, so check before booking. The Classic Maker's Mark Tour allows children. Only licensed service animals are allowed on campus, so pets stay home. Tell us your group's ages when you request a quote and we book the experiences that fit everyone.
Can you combine Maker's Mark with Willett and Bardstown Bourbon Company in one day?
Yes. All three sit in the Bardstown cluster, and a full day covering all three works. Maker's Mark usually goes first, with fresh palates, and Willett or Bardstown Bourbon Company follows after lunch. The order and what you do at each stop depend on what is available on your dates. We build the itinerary around availability and adjust in real time if anything changes.
Can I do Maker's Mark and Buffalo Trace on the same day?
We rarely recommend it. Maker's Mark is in Loretto, about 30 minutes past Bardstown, and Buffalo Trace is in Frankfort, about 50 minutes from Bardstown in the other direction. Each needs about two hours on site, so the drive replaces a third distillery. Most groups do better with two cluster days: Loretto and Bardstown on one, Frankfort on the other.
Plan Your Private Maker's Mark Day
BourbonTown Tours manages every reservation, builds the itinerary around what is available on your specific dates, picks you up at your hotel or door in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington, and adjusts the day in real time when anything changes. Every tour is 100% private. Your group, your vehicle, your guide, your itinerary.
3,000+ private tours since 2012. Never mixed with strangers.