Maker's Mark Distillery
Maker's Mark Distillery at 3350 Burks Spring Road in Loretto is a National Historic Landmark operating continuously since 1805 on Star Hill Farm. The 1,100-acre property includes the original limestone spring, cypress fermentation vats, aging warehouses, and the signature black-dip bottling line where bottles are hand-dipped in red wax. Tours run daily and include a tasting; the campus is a signature stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The approach roads through Marion and Washington Counties pass through rolling bourbon country with light traffic and sweeping curves.
Star Hill Farm sits on 1,100 acres of rolling Marion County countryside, and the approach from Bardstown or Springfield through those two-lane roads is genuinely part of the experience — horse farms, limestone outcroppings, and light traffic that makes the ride in feel deliberate rather than incidental. The distillery itself was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980, listed under its original name as the first distillery in America to earn that recognition while its landmark buildings remained in active production.
The campus is walkable and varied. The guided tour moves through the historic still house, cypress wood fermentation vats, aging warehouses, and the bottling line where every bottle still receives its hand-dipped red wax seal. The classic tour runs roughly an hour and fifteen minutes, though the grounds reward anyone who takes extra time to wander. Reservations are advised, particularly on fall and summer weekends. The on-site restaurant, Star Hill Provisions, sources ingredients from the farm itself and is open to visitors.
A National Historic Landmark with excellent rural approach roads from Bardstown or Springfield — rolling two-lanes through horse farms and limestone country. The distillery campus is walkable and the tasting included with the tour fee. Plan 90 minutes.
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