Star Hill

Star Hill's roots reach back to 1844, when Taylor William Samuels turned his small family distillery in Deatsville, Kentucky, into a commercial operation – he was already the third generation of his family to distil whiskey at the time, and was even connected, as a step-cousin, to the outlaws Jesse and Frank James. Today's property in Loretto, Nelson County, dates back to 1889, when George R. Burks built a new distillery there.

In 1953, Bill Samuels Sr., a direct descendant of Taylor William Samuels, bought this historic property for just $35,000 and had it extensively renovated. Under the brand name Maker's Mark, named and given its red wax seal by Bill's wife Margie, one of the world's most famous bourbons was born here.

How is Maker's Mark connected to a step-cousin of Jesse James?

Taylor William Samuels was already the third generation of a whiskey-distilling family when he turned his father's small farm distillery in Deatsville, Kentucky, into a commercial operation in 1844. During the Civil War, as a step-cousin of the James brothers, Jesse and Frank, he persuaded numerous Confederate soldiers to surrender. This T.W. Samuels distillery in Deatsville was the origin of the family tradition that continues to this day.

How did an old Kentucky distillery become Maker's Mark?

Today's Star Hill property in Loretto dates back to 1889, when George R. Burks built a new distillery there. In 1953, Bill Samuels Sr. – dissatisfied with his family's recipe – bought the property for $35,000 and, together with his wife Margie, developed a new, softer recipe based on wheat instead of rye. Margie contributed not only the name "Maker's Mark" but also its characteristic hand-dipped red wax seal. Production began in 1954, and the first bourbon was bottled in 1958. The site has held National Historic Landmark status since 1980, and since 2023 it has also become the first distillery in the world to be "Regenified" certified for regenerative agriculture.

Facts and figures

Family tradition since: 1844 (Deatsville). Current property: built 1889, Loretto, Nelson County, Kentucky. Purchased by Bill Samuels Sr.: 1953. First bourbon bottled: 1958. National Historic Landmark since: 1980.