Step into the quiet, cool limestone cellar at Maker’s Mark, and it’s not hard to see why the conditions lend themselves to an exceptional, curious and flavorful bourbon pushing the boundaries of innovation: The latest Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025 release makes the case that art and science can co-exist handsomely in the world of high-end bourbon.
The limited-edition release marks the third year in a row that the legendary Kentucky distiller has retooled its flagship recipe by aging liquid in its limestone cellar, and the results are as impressive as any past Maker’s Mark debut. A blend of 12-year-old and 13-year-old bourbons went into Maker’s Mark 2024 Cellar Aged, while the inaugural Maker’s Mark 2023 Cellar Aged expression fused 11-year and 12-year-old bourbon. This year’s expression, as Maxim found out during a visit to Star Hill Farms last week. delivers subtle yet noticeable tweaks on time-honored Maker’s Mark liquid, blending 74% 11-year-old liquid, 10% 13-year-old distillate and 16% 14-year-old bourbon.
The result is a bold yet delicious 56.45% ABV final product that drinks at a much lower proof. “Our cellar, built into the natural limestone shelf that surrounds our Star Hill Farm distillery, plays a vital role in shaping the whisky’s final profile — just as our environment has done since our founding,” said Dr. Blake Layfield, master distiller at Maker’s Mark, noting that cooler temperatures help slow down wood tannin extraction, “avoiding the overly bitter, tannic notes that can come with traditional long aging,” he added.
For Maker’s Mark, the pursuit is shaped as much by its surrounding natural beauty and historic farm as much as how the liquid interacts with its barrels. “What’s the impact of farm on flavor?” said Rob Samuels, Maker’s Mark managing director and its eighth-generation whisky maker, noting that the Kentucky distillery aims to “be on the forefront of regenerative agriculture” (its farm-to-table restaurant and rolling, lush hills are dotted with everything from beehives to Wagyu beef cattle). The distillery and its red wax-dipped bottles reflect a delicate approach, aged to taste and not time, as Samuels often says.
Both heritage and innovation drive the process at Maker’s Mark, which has lately experimented with custom wood stave finishing and of course, the new fan favorite Cellar Aged series. A stroll across the property reveals constant motion, but the kind that requires a closer second look: Packed gardens provide cocktail and meal garnishes, and a shaded forest near a reservoir delivers a quiet respite.
The previous duo of Cellar Aged releases bolstered an already-exquisite portfolio of bourbon from the company, founded in 1953 by Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr. Their presence, from old-school portraits to an impressive series of archival documents and awards on display throughout Maker’s Mark offices, remains paramount to the distillery’s success, the company says.
And while Maker’s Mark boasts a flagship recipe able to stand on its own, the company had further questions about how far it could go. “The question was… what would happen if we rotated classic Maker’s Mark into that warehouse?” Layfield said, leading an exclusive guided tasting on the distillery’s secluded campus last week. “Our taste vision for Cellar Aged was ‘How could we make an older aged version of Maker’s Mark?’ We’ve been asked for years to make this exact thing… but it didn’t meet our taste vision, our house style of whisky.”
The end result after much experimentation meets the legendary distillery’s high standard. Call it a blend of scientific alchemy as much as artistry, delivering a luxe whiskey (or whisky, as Maker’s Mark calls it) that ends up being “approachable” rather than challenging to drink, Layfield said. “By going into the cellar, the finish is very much different, the profile is very much different” compared to other experimental versions of aged Maker’s Mark the distillery worked on over the years.
“Every year is a unique flavor profile,” Layfield said, and a side-by-side tasting of the three Cellar Aged expressions reveals varying notes of caramelized sugar and oak, and in the case of this year’s release, baked apple and a long, luscious finish, while past releases echo even more distinct flavor notes, like a striking dash of coconut in Cellar Aged 2024.
2025 Cellar Aged (available beginning mid-September in the United States, Germany and Global Travel Retail accounts for the accessible price of $175) reflects the distillery’s “batch small, bottle big” process, Samuels said. And to kick off Bourbon Heritage Month on September 5th, its latest aged liquid will be available for purchase on-site through the distillery’s Cellar Aged Experience, featuring a guided tour and a series of tasting opportunities any bourbon fan would be wise to experience.
While the heritage distillery could have easily rested on its laurels, its eighth-generation whisky maker noted that “from the beginning, Maker’s Mark has gone to extraordinary lengths to craft an uncompromisingly delicious bourbon,” with Samuels calling its latest aged release ” a continuation of that pursuit.”
The handsomely presented and utterly delicious new release is far from the only boundary-pushing effort undertaken by the distillery. Its fantastic on-site culinary program (featuring a new summer menu) makes use of livestock, vegetables and produce grown on its sprawling grounds, which are as breathtaking as any distillery across the globe.
And while some spirits are perhaps best enjoyed neat or on the rocks, the company’s new Summer of Sours cocktail program showcases the many flavorful ways Maker’s Mark can be incorporated into a vibrant range of specialty seasonal sips. The distillery even worked with one-stop hosting-centric brand Big Night on custom recipes, tablescape ideas and barware, proving that the iconic distillery likely has something to suit every taste and palate (the Blackberry Old Fashioned and the classic Gold Rush are particularly tantalizing).
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Maker’s Mark Distillery, Loretto, Kentucky, Installed 2025.
Photo by Nathaniel Wilson/Courtesy of Maker’s Mark)
Equally as stunning and visually pleasing as the rich golden-amber liquid within a Maker’s Mark bottle is a newly installed exhibit by renowned contemporary artist Dale Chihuly. The exhibit manages to make the iconic distillery’s lovely grounds even more striking, especially as the sun sets and nine dramatic glass-blown installations come to life.
The experience is best enjoyed with a Maker’s Mark cocktail in hand, a visit that can be booked now through December 7th. Take note: The art-meets-bourbon tour includes surprise limited-release pours and other bookable experiences, the distillery said. “I drew a lot of inspiration from the landscape and architecture of the campus, and I’m excited to return with a new exhibition that responds to this special place in new ways,” Chihuly, who worked with Maker’s Mark on a 2017 installation, said in a statement.
From the pleasant hum of red wax-dipped bottles rolling down the bottling line to the quiet hush of secluded forest and the dappled sunlight hitting its many aging oak barrels, the Star Hill Farms experience (and the accompanying Cellar Aged 2025 release) remains nearly without peer. And with Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2025 priced at less than $200, one might say the race is on to see if a better value exists in the world of luxury spirits.