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What a great experience at Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky! This was a beautiful place to visit, and the entire property is absolutely gorgeous. The drive out there is scenic, and once you arrive, the grounds are beautiful and really give you that classic Kentucky bourbon experience. We did the bourbon tasting and tour, which was $31 per person, and I thought it was well worth it. The tour lasted about an hour and a half, including the tasting, and our tour guide was fantastic. She did a great job explaining the history of Maker's Mark and walking us through how the bourbon is actually made. One of the things I enjoyed most was getting to see the different stages of the process. They take you through the actual production areas and explain how everything is processed, including the large fermentation tanks where you can see everything bubbling as part of the fermentation process. It was really interesting to see the process in person instead of just hearing about it. We also learned about how they handle the bourbon barrels in the warehouses. The barrels are moved around by hand, including switching barrels between different levels of the warehouse so they experience the appropriate conditions and heat. It was pretty fascinating to learn how much hands-on work still goes into making the bourbon. If you want to learn about bourbon, how it's made, and the history behind Maker's Mark, I definitely think this tour is worth doing. You get to see so much more than you would by simply visiting the gift shop or tasting room. One thing I will mention: go during a cooler time of year if you can! Some of the production rooms were extremely hot, and we were sweating like crazy. I think visiting in November would be a much more comfortable experience. But honestly, getting to see all of the rooms and different parts of the operation made it worth it. We also ate at the restaurant while we were there. I had the hamburger for $22, and the fries were $9. We also had the bread with apple jam, which was really, really good! The apple jam was definitely a standout. Sherry loved the cowboy butter, which had a lot of spices and a little bit of a kick to it. Loretto itself is a very small town, so there isn't a ton to do in town, but there are several distilleries in the surrounding area. Maker's Mark is also very easy to get to from Louisville. We basically headed down Bardstown Road, took 49 South, and then followed the signs for Maker's Mark Road. The drive out there is part of the experience because the scenery is beautiful. Overall, this was a really enjoyable bourbon experience. Beautiful property, interesting tour, great guide, good food, and plenty of history. If you've never been to Maker's Mark, I definitely recommend making the trip. Kentucky bourbon doesn't get much more scenic than this!
Maker's Mark was the first distillery we visited once we arrived in Bardstown, and it was the perfect way to kick off our Bourbon Trail experience. The distillery grounds are absolutely beautiful, with gorgeous landscaping and art displayed throughout the property. I was especially excited to see pieces by one of my favorite artists, Chihuly, which was such a fun surprise. Even though Maker's Mark is such a well-known bourbon that you can find at almost any bar, I loved learning that they still do so many things by hand. They still print their own labels, and of course every bottle is hand-dipped in their signature red wax. One of the coolest parts of the tour is at the very end. If you purchase a bottle, you get the chance to dip it in the wax yourself. It's way harder than it looks to make it resemble the bottles you see on the liquor store shelves! The gift shop is large with plenty to browse, and the entire operation felt incredibly well run. Overall, it was a great tour and one I'd definitely recommend if you're visiting the Bourbon Trail.
We love coming here. This was our third visit to the distillery and it may have been our best tour ever. Jeremiah was so personable and was just such a great guide. He wasn't all about technical details and capacities and proper temperature.. he was about relating the story. He brought the experience to life and made you feel at home. The grounds are beautiful as always. The tasting was great and the Private Selection barrel we tasted was one we had to bring home. My wife even dipped it herself. It's well worth the trip away from the rest of Bourbon Country to make the drive out here. I really don't think you will be disappointed.
We sure did enjoy our time here! Makers Mark exceeded my expectations! The grounds are super beautiful the staff was amazing, and super good whisky! Our tour guide Cheyenne by far made our experience steller! We really learned a lot from her and we felt a deeper connection with the distillery during and after leaving the tour. The gift shop staff was really friendly Josh was really nice and helped me dip my own bottle. A shout out to him as well. I thought the prices were more than fair.. We are at Star Hill Provisions. The food, cocktails and service were amazing as well! I had the fried chicken sandwich with fries and my wife had the wedge salad. Also what I got out out of the tour is that they take good care of their employees and land which is important to me. This is a company that has good values which I'll remember in the future. Definitely recommend coming here! PS: as you get closer to the distillery follow the signs Makers Mark posted to the roadways, not so much the GPS, the GPS will lead you down some tight roads. In fact check the Makers Mark Web page to see if they post better directions than GPS.
There are various aspects of this tour that are beyond bourbon: The beautiful grounds, the art, and being able to dip your own bottle in their iconic red wax. The entire tour focuses on how Mrs. Margie has started bourbon tourism with offering tours and creating a brand. The incorporation of the art pieces, all the way from storage to tasting makes the grounds all the more interesting. This distillery is not in the Frankfort area where you can hit more than one on your way. But it is worth a day trip of its own. Just make sure to plan for the restaurant to close on the earlier side, last seating at 5 pm.
Tour is fun, entertaining and informative. I am not a liquor drinker and still enjoyed the tour. Would do it again.
Our Golden Ticket Tour at Maker's Mark was nothing short of exceptional, and a huge part of that experience was our incredible tour guide, Laura. Without a doubt, she is the best tour guide we have ever had. From the moment the tour began, Laura's personality lit up the entire experience. She struck the perfect balance between being informative and entertaining, sharing the rich history and craftsmanship behind Maker's Mark while keeping everyone fully engaged. Her sense of humor and perfectly timed jokes made the day not only educational but genuinely fun and memorable. You can tell Laura truly loves what she does, and that passion comes through in every part of the tour. She made us feel welcomed, valued, and like we were part of something special. The Golden Ticket Tour is already a unique experience, but Laura elevated it to a whole different level. If you're planning a visit to Maker's Mark, we can't recommend this tour enough--and if you're lucky enough to have Laura as your guide, you're in for an unforgettable day!
First time ever touring a distillery after living in the area over a decade. I was blown away by the guided tour, our guide was Jackie and she was phenomenal! Truly so in depth, informative, fun and made us all feel so immersed in the area. The property was so beautiful and well tended. The aroma of the fermenting room can be strong for some but they do warn people and ask often if people are doing okay. I will also note there are some stairs but other ways to get around are available such as ramps. I will say I'm no bourbon drinker but the tasting was fun and I learned so much about the process and what it meant to the family. The Original Makers was my favorite though everyone else favored the 46 blend. At the end I had a fun time dipping my own bottle to commemorate the memory.
My friends and I visited Maker's Mark during our recent trip to Kentucky. The distillery is tucked away in the countryside, about an hour's drive from Louisville, but the trip is well worth it. We toured the grounds with a large group, and everything was immaculate. The tour itself was very informative and a great way to learn more about the bourbon-making process. After the tour, we participated in a tasting, which was a fun and educational experience. We then decided to eat at the Star Hill Provisions Café on the grounds. There was no wait, and we were seated right away. We ordered pizza, meat soup, lamb meatballs, and a chicken sandwich--all of which were fresh and delicious. Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to Maker's Mark and would absolutely come back again.
Amazing experience today! We had a great in depth tour behinds the scenes. I signed up to be an Ambassador 7 years ago and my barrel finally matured. Hearing the story of Makers Mark was really interesting and we sampled some bourbon in various stages along the way. We finished up getting to hand dip our bourbon bottles with our names on custom labels. Overall a great experience and I'll be a loyal brand ambassador for life
The Maker's Mark Distillery was the highlight of our trip around the bourbon trail. Everything about this facility is warm and welcoming. The staff is very friendly and makes you feel part of the family. I whole heartedly recommend that this be a stop if you're in the area.
We had a great tour! Cheyenne is an excellent friendly and knowledgeable guide. I felt I learned a lot about the company. The grounds are beautiful and you get to see a lot on the classic tour. You get to taste for samples at the end of the tour and my husband loved dipping his own bottle in the red wax. I'd like that they have a small art collection in the visitor center and the glass exhibit was beautiful. I'd love to Chihulily glass.
Tour guide Jeremy was awesome. We had a great time viewing the different stages of the process. I would recommend visiting to anyone who has an appreciation for a well oiled system and the love of bourbon. Beautiful grounds
We were highly encouraged to take the full tour of the makers mark distillery. The entire tour is about an hour and 15 minutes and ends with a tasting of four of their bourbons. (Standard, cask strength, no. 46 silver oak, and single barrel) Taking a walk at the grounds you get access to the buildings and can see the history of the brand. It was interesting to learn a lot. It is a huge campus to walk so if you have challenges walking, this is probably not the best tour for you. You're also going on and off of uneven surfaces during the walking tour. read more
Best bathrooms on the whole bourbon trail!!! Maker's Mark has a crazy nice campus, lots to explore and they have a great bar but I cannot stress how nice their bathrooms are, they gave Tuscany vibes! The lady that checked us in for our tour was a delight and suggested since we were there early we head to the bar and then check out the garden. That was a great suggestion, the garden was beautiful and so much was growing. As I non Bourbon drinker I opted out of a drink from the bar but the drinks did look good. Our tour was about an hour long and there were roughly 15-20 people on the tour. Madison was our tour guide who had great energy and very knowledgeable. I personally loved the tornado shelter room and the bottle dipping room. The tour came with a tasting of 4 different bourbons and they all had a real strong bourbon smell, everyone else seemed to enjoy everything. After the tour in the gift shop we decided to buy some bottles so we could dip them ourselves, it was a very cool experience. Pro tip: Get a personalized label from Etsy and then they will let you buy an unlabeled bottle, put your label on it and dip it. read more
1 year ago
Definitely 5 out of 5 stars!! I'd give it a 400 out of 5 if I could. I'm a Buffalo Trace guy and only booked the Maker's tour just to see the place and how another company did it. I was blown away. I still love my Buffalo Trace products, but I'm now also a Maker's drinker. Our tour guide Michelle was great, the actual alcohol was super smooth, and the restaurant was great as well. If you're thinking about visiting, stop thinking and do it. You won't regret it. read more
2 years ago
To be transparent I am part of the ambassador program offered by Maker's Mark. Ambassadors are not paid but are offered ambassador-only events. 3 out of 4 of my visits to Maker's have been for Ambassador-only events. Each visit has been a great experience. The grounds are always well-kept and peaceful. Main visitor/check-in center has some interesting art pieces, nice bathrooms and top of the line bar area with amazing views out the back. Tour guide we had a couple times (Ethan) is always personable and knowledgeable. Always a great time and worth the drive. read more
10 months ago
Just visited from North Carolina over Thanksgiving holiday with the Chihuly exhibition. Absolutely wonderful visit!! We attended the Bourbon tasting in Beaufort, NC just the week before. We are ambassadors there since 2016 and we were so welcomed! The exhibition was incredibly beautiful! The tastings were delicious and we dipped our own whisky bottles! Its such a beautiful campus! We had lunch there which was delicious! The Chihuly glass art against the rustic barrels were amazing! We stayed in Elizabethtown which was a close and beautiful drive to the distillery. We very much recommend to sign up as an ambassador and visit Makers Mark in KY! read more
1 year ago
What a great experience at Maker's Mark Distillery! Our host was amazing and the place was so dope. read more
2 years ago
Gorgeous property. Beautiful art. Good bourbon tasting. Our tour guide Jim did a great job. read more
1 year ago
The grounds were beautiful! The staff were so friendly, knowledgeable and went out of their way to help you. The Chihuly exhibit was awesome and getting to hand dip your own bottle was so fun! The restaurant was also really good. read more
1 year ago
We took a tour and had a great time. It was a good mix of information and discussion about the bourbon industry. read more
10 months ago
11 months ago
11 months ago
First app today. Really nice venue. Everything everyone else has said about this place and the tour is true. Lots of fun and history. The tour is a lot of walking so be ready for that. Ending up in the store and doing your own bottle dip is fun and the drinks were delicious! Great spot! read more
5 months ago
9 months ago
Great tour, with Tasting and personal bottle dipping. The bourbon tasting allowed you to taste bourbons not sold in stores. read more
11 months ago
After many years of travelling through the Bluegrass State, and later exploring the distinctive taste of Maker's Mark and their extensive history, I finally schedule a tour to visit their storied and beautiful expanse to see how this all American spirit is made. For the final approach into the distillery, I ventured down Maker's Mark Road, which took me down some winding and visually stunning scenery of this segment of Kentucky. Upon arrival, I took a stroll through their good sized garden, which is now making the move into fall, but still colorful and full of life. The guest center is welcoming, with a Dale Chihuly art piece in the lobby, along with various other art from around the country. Our tour guide, Tim, I would describe as having a Ryan Reynolds "look" with a Kentucky accent. He is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Maker's Mark as well as how the famed spirit is crafted from the corn, red wheat and barley to the red wax dip at the end. I was taken by the stories of the Samuels family, with Bill Samuels, Sr and his new approach to bourbon and his wife Margie Samuels, who we learned was responsible for the overall look of the bottle, the label, the wax seal and the name Maker's Mark. Quite a legacy from one couple. And we saw all of that throughout the hour and a half tour, which took us to the historic distillery, where we saw the otherworldly vats filled with grain mash, along with the distinctive aroma. Then it was off to the rickhouses, where we learned about the attention to detail that is required to make Maker's Mark a consistent bourbon time after time. From there, we peeked into the bottling room, to see the bottles go on a sort of Rube Goldberg-esque ride with final element being the dip into the wax which makes each bottle of Maker's Mark unique. Finally, the tasting. Our group ended up in a comfortable setting in on of their tasting rooms and Tim walked us through several bottles of their products and told a bit about their flavor profiles and some cocktail ideas to try with them. Then off to the gift shop area where some in our group were able to purchase a bottle of their own to dip for themselves. I had another tour that day, but it did look like a fun way to cap off the experience. All told, I had a wonderful time on this tour and exploring the grounds. I would recommend it for any fan of bourbon, the history of Kentucky, or a way to connect with friends in a beautiful setting. read more
11 months ago
5 months ago
1 year ago
The tour was excellent. The buildings were all very clean and no bad smells from the mash or ingredients. Our tour guide was funny and kept everyone interested in the product. The tasting was awesome. Being a Makers Mark fan I very much enjoyed it. read more
4 months ago
1 year ago
We had an excellent visit to Maker's Mark and Star Hill Farms. We were so happy we decided to do the tour and lucked out getting Andrew as our tour guide. He was super informative, funny, and literally knew the answer to every single question he was asked. The facility and grounds are worth a visit alone, they are stunning. And if you're lucky you'll get to meet WhiskyJane the cat and if you're even luckier you'll get to have Andrew as your tour guide. read more
1 year ago
My wife and I were at makers mark 20 years ago. We came back October 9, 2025, as an ambassador. The grounds were beautiful with wonderful artwork. The entire employee staff were fantastic, friendly knowledgeable happy to answer any questions you have. Laura, our guide was unbelievably wonderful. And of course, can't beat the bourbon. It will not take 20 years to go back the next time. read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
They have mastered the vanishing art of customer service. Of course the bourbon is on point. In addition there are other bourbons in the offering to delight. The tour was fabulous ( shout out to Cheyenne) and the property is meticulously maintained. Beautiful property. TAKE THE TOUR. You won't be disappointed! read more
1 year ago
Our tour guide, Chris, was amazing. He made our 2 hour tour very interesting, informative and entertaining. Highly recommended! read more
1 year ago
Our tour was lead by Jeremy, who didn't lack the knowledge of this iconic Kentucky distillery! Being part of the ambassador program at Maker's Mark, is an amazing experience! read more
4 months ago
1 year ago
Beautiful property great tour, great tour guides and great product. All the staff was kind courteous. The tour was a lot of walking, but at the end they would shuttle you back to your car. The restaurant was great. Food is great and libations were perfect. read more
5 months ago
5 months ago
11 months ago
We came for the "Ambassador's - Dale Chihuly" event and it was amazing. Second time to the Farm. Even with a light rain (on and off) the exhibition was fantastic. Lots of good food and great bourbon! And Dale's works are always a sight to behold! read more
2 years ago
Likely doesn't get much better - Just like their bourbon, their tour is exceptional. Highly recommend read more
6 months ago
This may be an unpopular opinion, but personally I would skip this one unless you feel you have to see it. This distillery is so far out of town - we thought we would detour and see it on our way to Nashville at the end of our trip. It was a very far detour - like an hour off the main road. However, the distillery is very pretty and artsy. We enjoyed the tour and the grounds. We didn't have a tour pre-booked but were able to get one last minute. I would highly recommend booking in advance though. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and charismatic which made the tour more enjoyable. I liked the different aspects to this tour compared to others like the printed label we got to keep and seeing the dipping of the bottles. read more
1 year ago
11 months ago
Great tour guide and was so pleasantly surprised by all of the stunning artwork. Not just the chilluly exhibit. read more
7 months ago
More info about Maker's Mark Distillery
3350 Burk Spring Rd
Loretto, KY 40037
Directions
(270) 865-2099
Call Now
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https://www.makersmark.com
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Ask the Community - Maker's Mark Distillery
Do you have different closing hours during the summer months ie. July?
Where is a good place to stay the night? I'm looking for easy transportation to and from. Are there any hotels that offer a shuttle?
The nearest town is Bardstown which has a lot of hotels. We actually stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and is new and very nice. You will likely need a car to get to Bardstown unless you can find a tour bus service. I would Google to see if a tour…
Can you bring well behaved dogs?
Dogs are not permitted on the tours. You may be able to walk them around the parking lot, but once you enter the tour grounds they are not allowed.
I have a three year old. Will he be totally bored out of his mind?
Not necessarily. The grounds are beautiful, babbling brook and all. The inside of certain buildings are very cool with rock walls and stacks of barrels. It's unique so it may captivate a little ones interest for awhile.
Best place after your to have lunch?
They have an amazing restaurant on site Starhill Provisions. You HAVE to stop there for lunch its so GOOD! https://www.facebook.com/StarHillProvisions/
Review Highlights - Maker's Mark Distillery
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