Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky is a small-batch bourbon from Loretto, Kentucky, USA, bottled at 40% ABV in a 700ml bottle. Made using soft red winter wheat in place of traditional rye, it delivers a softer, sweeter, more approachable style than most bourbons, with balanced notes of bright cherry, vanilla, caramel and soft spice. Famous for its hand-dipped red wax seal — a detail personally created by co-founder Margie Samuels — it's one of the most recognisable bourbons in the world, equally suited to sipping neat or mixing in a classic Old Fashioned or Whisky Sour.

Maker’s Mark Tasting Notes.

Nose: Sweet oak, vanilla, bright fruit and wheat.
Palate: Balanced notes of bright cherry, delicate vanilla, caramel and a hint of soft spices, with a signature velvety mouthfeel.
Finish: Smooth and creamy, with a pleasant soft spice and clean close.

Why Choose Maker’s Mark?

Maker's Mark's defining feature is its mash bill: unlike almost every other major bourbon, it replaces rye grain with soft red winter wheat, a choice founder Bill Samuels Sr. arrived at by literally baking loaves of bread using different grain combinations until he found a recipe he loved, then adapting it into a whisky recipe. That wheat swap is what gives Maker's Mark its trademark smoothness and softer mouthfeel compared to spicier, rye-forward bourbons — an approachable style that's made it one of the most popular bourbons in the world for over six decades. The brand's visual identity is just as deliberate: co-founder Margie Samuels designed the distinctive squarish bottle, the label, and the hand-dipped red wax seal — she personally dipped the very first bottles in her own kitchen, and her contributions later saw her become the first woman inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. Consistency is the whole point here rather than dramatic change — the recipe has remained essentially untouched for over 50 years, making this a genuinely reliable, crowd-pleasing bourbon for both newcomers and dedicated cocktail drinkers. It's an easy, versatile pour — great neat or on the rocks for casual sipping, and a superb base for an Old Fashioned, Whisky Sour or Boulevardier, where its gentle sweetness complements citrus, bitters and spice without fighting them.

About Maker’s Mark.

Maker’s Mark was founded in 1953 by Bill Samuels Sr. at Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky, with the first hand-dipped bottle reaching the market in 1958. Co-founder Margie Samuels designed the brand's now-iconic bottle shape, label and hand-dipped red wax seal, and became the first woman inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame for her contributions to the brand and the wider industry. The distillery remained family-run for generations, with leadership passing from Bill Samuels Jr. to his son Rob Samuels in 2011, and Maker's Mark is now part of Suntory Global Spirits. Renowned for its wheated mash bill and small-batch, hand-crafted approach, Maker's Mark remains one of the most recognisable and widely enjoyed bourbon brands in the world.