Mission, Passion Combine in '26 Star Hill Farm Wheat Whisky
There's no corn in this mash bill, candy corn and caramel corn notes hit hard on the first sip. The whisky makes no apologies about its 116 proof: it's plenty powerful and spice driven.
Bottle Details
- DISTILLER: Maker's Mark Distillery
- TYPE: Wheat Whisky
- MASH BILL: Two Wheat mash bills (No. 1, 100% Malted, No. 2, 70% Wheat and 30% Malted Barley) that, when blended worked out to 27% Wheat | 62% Malted Wheat | 11% Malted Barley
- AGE: At least 7 years
- YEAR: 2026
- PROOF: 116.4 (58.2% ABV)
- AVAILABILITY: Nationwide
- MSRP: $99.99 for a 700ml bottle
- BUY ONLINE: Available at larger retailers nationwide, and at the distillery
TASTING NOTES
NOSE: Deep caramel, lemon meringue pie (especially the crust), dried flowers, cinnamon and overripe apples.
PALATE: Despite there being zero corn in the mash bill, candy corn and caramel corn notes hit hard on the first sip, but toasted oak and baking spice rush in as the grain impact lightens. The whisky makes no apologies about its 116 proof: it's plenty powerful and spice driven. Deep oak character serves to round out the whole and balance it.
FINISH: Long, warm and oaky, but not drying. Within a minute it moves to pipe tobacco and mint; really interesting.
Reviewer's Verdict
RATING: Bottle, because sometimes you deserve a pricey treat, and other times you just ask yourself, "What's up with that?" and buy it for its promised difference. Anything connected to Maker's Mark Distillery is a safe bet, but the regenerative agriculture story behind this delicious Star Hill Farm dram is significant.
After about a century of farmers over-working and chemically nourishing America's land, people like Rob Samuels are making a passionate push for farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices to save the dirt beneath our feet. His belief that better land yields better whisky is the part that interests most drinkers, of course. But eventually, we're all going to have to pay close attention to soil conservation for nearly everything we eat. The prospect of it disappearing within the next 50 years is concerning. If you want to dig a little deeper, here's Maker's Mark's direct impact on it.
WORTH THE PRICE: Yeah. Great whiskey, great cause. One-hundred percent of this whisky's sale proceeds are reinvested into Maker's Mark's agricultural and educational initiatives.
WHO IT'S FOR: Drinkers looking for a new whiskey experience, but ideally for wheat whiskey enthusiasts who also are inspired by the regenerative agriculture movement (which we all should be, frankly). Count me in both groups.
REVIEWER'S VERDICT: Above all, drink this whisky because you like it. But also keep it handy at home to pour for dinner guests who aren't familiar with the liquid and the story behind it. It's a great conversation piece. Find a course to pair it with (dessert's a gimmie, but seafood would be better) or make a cocktail with it.
Disclaimer
This bottle found its way to us compliments of the brand. What ends up on the page is ours alone — and they knew that going in. Around here, honesty isn't a policy. It's the whole damn point.
About Our Rating System
Bourbon & Banter uses a three-tier rating system created over a decade ago: Bottle, Bar, or Bust.
- 🍾 Bottle — Buy it. This one deserves a place in your cabinet. (Approximate equivalent: 85 and above on a 100-point scale)
- 🥃 Bar — Worth trying, but not necessarily worth owning. Find it at a bar before committing to a bottle. (Approximate equivalent: 70–84)
- 💀 Bust — Skip it. Life is too short and your shelf space too valuable. (Approximate equivalent: below 70)
Numeric scores imply a precision that doesn't exist — and most publications never score below 80, making half the scale meaningless. We'd rather answer the question that actually matters: buy it, try it at a bar before you buy, or skip it. The approximate equivalents above are for reference only.