Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 is the second annual release from Maker’s Mark’s first new mash bill in 70 years — and this time it arrives carrying the title of World’s Best Wheat Whisky 2026 from the World Whiskies Awards. This is not a bourbon. It is an American wheat whisky built from estate-grown grains at Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky, designed to evolve every year as the harvest changes. Where the standard Maker’s Mark lineup has run on the same recipe since 1953, Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 is the opposite proposition — a bottle that will never be made the same way twice, bottled at cask strength and priced at $100.
What Changed in Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026
The 2025 debut spotlighted soft red winter wheat — the signature grain in the Maker’s Mark mash bill. Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 pushes further by introducing hard red and hard white wheat varietals, demonstrating how grain diversity translates into depth through distillation, maturation, and blending.
The final blend is built from two mash bills — one composed entirely of malted wheat, another combining 70 percent wheat with 30 percent malted barley — and lands at 27 percent wheat, 62 percent malted wheat, and 11 percent malted barley. The result is a darker, more layered aromatic profile with a rounder structure and amplified fruit notes compared to the inaugural release. Master Distiller Dr. Blake Layfield described the shift directly — the first release was bright, approachable, and straightforward, and the 2026 edition dials up the complexity.
How Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 Drinks
Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 is a blend of seven- and eight-year-old whiskies bottled at cask strength — 58.2 percent ABV, or 116.4 proof. It opens with aromas of molasses, fig, and delicate baking spices, moves into zesty citrus, ripe pear, and buttery shortbread on the palate, and finishes with soft cinnamon. The premium American whisky category keeps delivering expressions that reward patience and attention, and Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 belongs in that conversation — a cask-strength pour that evolves from first sip to finish without rushing you through any of it.
Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 Beyond the Glass
Star Hill Farm Whisky 2026 carries Estate Whiskey certification from the Estate Whiskey Alliance — a program established by the University of Kentucky recognizing whiskey produced entirely on the distillery estate using estate-grown grains. It was the first whisky to earn that certification in 2025, and the 2026 release continues it. Maker’s Mark is both B Corp and Regenified Certified, and the distillery’s Regenerative Alliance has already helped convert 58,000 acres of conventional farmland to certified regenerative practices.
Rob Samuels — eighth-generation whisky maker and managing director — framed the philosophy simply: his grandparents built Maker’s Mark on the belief that investing in the land gives back in flavor.
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