Makers Mark Star Hill Farm Showdown 2025 vrs 2026

We put Maker’s Mark Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whiskey 2025 and 2026 in the ring and score them side by side to see what changed and which one drinks better. Along the way, we get into why wheat needs oxygen, why Maker’s Mark is treating this as a vintage-style annual release, and how regenerative agriculture connects to flavor. 
• why Star Hill Farm exists and why it is not bourbon 
• Maker’s Mark shift from one mash bill to experimentation 
• regenerative agriculture and why “grain matters” 
• why wheat whiskey can improve after opening 
• 2025 release proof age mash bill and tasting notes 
• our barrel bottle breakdown scoring system 
• 2026 release mash bill changes and what they do to flavor 
• head-to-head verdict plus a simple blend idea if you own both 
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Maker’s Mark spent nearly 70 years defending one core mash bill, so when Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whiskey shows up as a yearly, changing release, we have to treat it like a real moment in modern American whiskey. We line up the first two annual releases, 2025 vs 2026, taste them with our barrel breakdown scoring, and answer the question every curious whiskey fan is asking: which one actually drinks better right now, and why?  

We also dig into what makes this project different from a typical “new expression.” Star Hill Farm is built around wheat as the star, not corn as the safety net, and it’s tied directly to Maker’s Mark’s push for regenerative agriculture and a grain-forward philosophy. We talk about why soil health and farming practices matter for long-term whiskey quality, and why this release is designed to evolve like a vintage rather than taste identical every year.  

Then we get practical. Wheat can change dramatically after you open a bottle, and we share the cap-off, let-it-breathe approach that transformed the 2026 pour from too oaky into a dessert bomb. Expect tasting notes like cherry cola and toasted oak on the 2025, then caramel, vanilla, and an unmistakable “Milk Duds” finish on the 2026, plus the mash bill changes that help explain the swing. If you’ve got both bottles, we even float a simple blending idea to see what happens in your own glass.  

If you enjoy cast strength whiskey reviews, Maker’s Mark tasting notes, and smart whiskey talk that stays grounded in what you can taste, hit subscribe, share this with a bourbon friend, and leave us a review so more people can find the show.

If You Have Gohsts

Transcript

Sponsor Spot And Quick Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:47

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SPEAKER_01 2:38

Let's spread these babies out a little bit. I think so. Did I turn one off or is one, yeah, they're both working there? All right. Welcome everybody to another podcast of the Scotchy Bourbon Boys Tiny here tonight. I cannot wait. Our podcast tonight. We've got why did I drop it down? I can't drop it down like that. I gotta put it where it's supposed to go and then put this in front of it. All right. We uh I am set, but let's get set. All right, there we go. Move that one over right there. I can drop that to there. Everything's working. That way I could see what's going on. All right, I'm by myself. Oh, come on. This automatic get bigger thing drives me nuts. I gotta turn that off. I'm smart enough

Why Star Hill Farm Matters

SPEAKER_01 3:33

when it comes to a math to get that function off where I can just move the windows around without them enlarging by themselves. But, anyways, that's beside the point. Welcome everybody to the Scotchy Bourbon Boys. Tonight we're comparing the first two annual releases of Maker's Mark's groundbreaking Star Hill Farm American Wheat Whiskey. This isn't bourbon. It's 100% focused on wheat, making one of the most innovative American whiskey releases in decades. We'll answer the question: which release drinks better? What's changed? Is this becoming Maker's Mark version of Buffalo Trace's antique collection or Booker's annual batches? We'll find out a little bit there. I mean, what's kind of cool is that these two, the first one is a 750 milliliter that was given to us at our podcast with Rob Samuel. And if you get a chance to go back and listen to that podcast, it's fantastic. Rob did a great job explaining everything about what why they're doing this and you know what kind of stuff that, you know, what what the whole thinking process is. And he did that right before our private select, which we haven't gotten yet. I'm waiting to see if the state of Ohio can get their crap together so that we could get this pick because you know we've done multiple picks through the state of Ohio, and all of a sudden, somehow we were doing something wrong. So, I mean, we worked with the people there right through, straightforward, did everything, you know, too, you know, directly, and then somehow it all fell through, and we're gonna be getting it. But someday I'll get that pick. I'm gonna, I'm not giving up. Anyways, but this this right here, these two American wheat whiskies are a definition of what is being done by the Samuel family at Maker's Mark. And it it's everything, it's farm to glass. Uh I'll go into everything that they want to do. So, you know, I can't wait. So remember, we're www.scotchybourbonboys.com for all things Scotchy Bourbon Boys. We've got Glenn Karens t-shirts. You know, you can order right through the website, or you can contact me directly. I gotta be making a new t-shirt order. I have to decide what I'm gonna do too, because the older t-shirts about and what you can do now and what CT could do with the decals, I have to decide what we're gonna do. All right, and then also we're on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. We're also on iHeart, Apple, and Spotify. So whether you listen to us or watch us, make sure that you do all the good things. Support us, become members, sign up for the membership, leave super chats.

Where To Watch And Support

SPEAKER_01 6:26

Kirk is, you know, do what Kirk does. And then here's hey JD, good to see you. Yeah, there what's I we'll get into that of what you were just talking about because the two are amazing, and I'll I'll tell you what I did. And then I think that was it. And then also uh Apple, Apple, iHeart, go and leave us good feedback. Give leave us a good review. This helps, especially for to get the word out with people, because if we don't, it's it's you know, what is this for? And it's crazy, crazy how cool what's happening and how big we're getting. So I know you guys are already doing it. We've got RC that says Star Hill Yum, and then it's 30-year tawny port mezcal that that RC's drinking. And that's kind of cool. Welcome RC to the podcast. And then JD's on. Good to good to see JD. Yeah, but the 26th bottle, I'm telling you, uh the the difference will go into, and it's pretty cool. So tonight, that's our podcast. I don't know how much I got as far as my voice goes. So uh everybody, I might I might do the I might share the Zoom meeting and be out pretty quick tonight, my guess. Gotta get some sleep, make sure if this is if this is some sort of cold that I keep going in the right direction and kicking its ass because I feel I didn't feel bad ever, but at one point this was worse. I think on Monday it was pretty on Sun, no, Monday, that I woke up and uh it was a pretty I I didn't have much of a voice, so I have a much better voice than I did then. So can't wait to get this going. All right. Here we go. Makers Mark spent nearly 70 years producing only one bourbon mash bill. That's what they did. I mean, the Samuels have been doing it since the 50s, and they came up with the one mash bill that they thought was, and it's a weeded mash bill, mate made with soft red winter wheat, corn, and malted barley. And they they wouldn't even change what they were doing early on when everybody was coming out with whatever, everybody's like, well, if you do it a little bit older, or you do it at cast strength, and they're like, nope, maker's mark is maker's mark. So now they've evolved into their private selects with their

Maker’s Mark Finally Breaks Tradition

SPEAKER_01 9:16

patented barrel stave program where they can come up with amazing flavors by dumping Maker's Mark into another full barrel, into another brand new charred oak barrel with barrel staves. And they've got five different staves to choose from, and you can put any combination you want in there when you do it, or they do it, that's what makers 46 is, is because those barrel staves are the French oak 46 staves, and they make a specific spiciness to it, and that's when they started changing a little bit from going from then they came up with cast strength, and then now they have expressions, but last year, 2025, we went down and saw Rob, and he gifted the Scotchy Bourbon Boys this bottle. And let's uh use all my tools. Let's not just try and struggle here. From the Maker's Mark Distillery, and okay, Star Hill Farms Whiskey from the Maker's Mark Distillery embodies our commitment to caring for nature in service of our land and our whiskey. Our inaugural release marries two all-new mash bills: one a soft red winter wheat and a malted barley, and another of 100% malted wheat. Carefully matured and bottled at cast strength, this whiskey reveals nature's gift in their trusted form, offering a spectrum of soft wheat and complex flavors. Starhill Farms Whiskey is the ultimate reconnection of whiskey maker to land. To discover how Maker's Mark is dedicated to the education and adoption of regenerative agriculture in the service of our land, find out more at StarhillFarms.com. StarhillFarm.com. So that's on the back of there. That's what they did. And when we were talking to Rob, the regenerative regenerative farming that they do is based off of that. We're getting close to destroying our soul our soil for having any kind of substantial nutrients because of the farming practices that we've been doing over the past hundred years. And the what they're doing here is regenerative farming, which then starts to restore the nutrients back into the land. And they're doing experimental stuff all over, but they're convincing farmers across Kentucky, Indiana, and elsewhere to do this type of farming to bring back the soil and the nutrition

Regenerative Farming From Farm To Glass

SPEAKER_01 12:12

back to our foods. So they're playing a pretty big part, and that is Suntory is the ownership, and they are supporting it. So that this brand of whiskey is pretty fantastic when you think about it, right? When you're thinking about that's what they're trying to inspire. I shouldn't put those in front of me in YouTube. You want to see me over there. So this brand, but not only that, but when you taste it, now there's some things about a weeded bourbon or a wheat whiskey that wheat is no one is not anywhere near as hardy as rye, as as a grain. So opening up bottles, especially even Maker's Mark or other bottles that are weeded bourbons, I find you want to let them, and the person who I did 100%, what would you say, learn? I knew and had learned about opening up bottles and letting them air out and what happened almost from the start of when we started doing this. But I will tell you that Ed Blay came on this podcast. Well, he initially released his wheated bourbon, and when he sent it, he had a big explanation about open it up, don't drink it for a couple days, and then you know, taste it and then don't

Why Wheat Whiskey Needs Oxygen

SPEAKER_01 13:41

drink it for a couple days and see what happens with wheat. Because what happens with wheat in the bottle is totally different when it's when there's wheat instead of rye involved. And so this wheat whiskey follows that same thing that you want to open it up. And so I opened up the bottle yesterday from the 2026 and I sipped a little bit. And it was there was a it was caramely and oaky, and the 2025 bottle's been open for about a year, and that was a little bit softer, it had some caramel flavors, but nowhere near the amount of oak. So I left the cap off overnight. So it had the cap off for over 24 hours, and when you think about if the cap's off for over 24 hours, right? For me, what that means is if the cap's off for that it's been breathing, and so I did cheat a little bit tonight and had a little sip. So this is gonna be a pretty fun, what would you say, battle? So let's just see. So why do you think a whiskey company that built its reputation on consistency suddenly has be become started to become experimenting? I mean, it really comes down to marketplace. They had to do different things just like everybody else. They wouldn't have the the one they did not get left behind. But Jack Daniels, in my opinion, got left behind because at first Jack Daniels they did a couple single barrels early on in the 90s, but they were shh, they were slow to come out with cast strength. And they were slow to come out with some of the things, the the higher end stuff that they've done since then. They were concentrating more on the drinks, like you know, similar to what Jim Beam does, or the cola drinks, or the the lemonade.

The Market Push Toward Innovation

SPEAKER_01 15:56

I think Jim Beam makes a hard lemonade. I mean, they made flavors and everything. So Maker's Mark, in my opinion, got into it. And the one thing I I think that I I can't wait for is if they can do some older releases of 12 and 15 year, because then you're gonna get into some stuff too that's similar to you know Pappy Van Winkle, if you do it right. So Rob Samuels wanted to showcase the wheat itself instead of corn. Starhill Farms about proving grain matters just as much as barrel maturation. It also highlights Maker's commitment to regenerative agriculture and a steak-grown grain philosophy. So Rob also wasn't just trying to make another bourbon. Instead, he wanted to answer what happens when wheat becomes the star instead of supporting corn. He wanted to preserve Maker's heritage, he wanted to create a yearly exploration, allowing every release to evolve, treating Starhill Farm like a vintage wine. This is designed as an annual changing expression, not a whiskey that's supposed to taste identical every year. So the 2025 release, the inaugural release shocked the whiskey drinkers because it wasn't sweet and soft like many expected from wheat. In my opinion, the toasted oak, the barrel char, and it had a dry finish, but that was when you first opened it up. The mash bill was 51% soft red winter wheat, 20% malted soft red winter wheat, and 22% malted barley. It's 114.7 proof. So this is seriously a cast strength that's and it's approximately seven to eight years old. And when you think about that, how long

2025 Release Specs And Expectations

SPEAKER_01 17:58

they've had this wheat aging as we did, you know, just wheat. So the first release had a it was not as big because one, I think they weren't sure what everybody was gonna do, and then two, I just think that it was the perfect amount. I'm I'm sure they had it, and people now one of the things that it answers is what why do why removing corn changes everything? Can normally because corn normally supplies the sweetness. Without it, we becomes the dominant voice. All I'm what normally supplies, in my opinion, the sweetness isn't the corn in whiskey, it's the barrel. I agree with 100% with Greg Schneider that the barrel pro it prov provides the caramel and the vanillas from the wood and the caramelizing of the sugars. And because if you just drink wheat whiskey as white dog, there's not a lot of sweetness going on, and there's not a lot of sweetness as a white from a white dog from corn. You do taste flavors, but not a lot. So the 2025 right here, I'm gonna put that in the makers. Mark Glen Karen. Put this in here because we're gonna have to do some. So it'll equal one pour. There's the 2025 into the glass. So the co the nose is caramel and cherry, in my opinion. At this point, we're gonna do the Scotchy Bourbon Boys barrel bottle breakdown. And what we'll do is we're gonna break them down and then put them head to head. So I should pour, all right. Well, I'll do that right off the bat. So

2025 Tasting Notes Cherry And Toast

SPEAKER_01 20:24

when they opened this initially, Walker and Randy Ford did not like it at all. And I said, I liked it, but you gotta let it sit a while. And so I let it sit for about a month, and when that month happened, it was fantastic, it just really picked up everything. Now it's been a year, and in the nose, there is so much cherry, caramel. I gotta figure out what the else that is. A little bit of chocolate. Yeah, fourteen points seven. What does it do? Look at that. It just sticks. It's like a sticky, and then just long big legs just start running down. That is crazy. So the viscosity is fantastic. That is definitely cold. A toasted oak. Toasted mini wheat. Frosted mini wheat. But the cherry cola on what it is, I mean. Randy, you should revisit your twenty-five bottle. I think this has gone into a level of where you would like it. Some caramel in there. A little mint. Fantastic hug. This was I mean, this is one of the top whiskies this 2025 in 2025. All right. Nose. Barrel bottled breakdown scoring rating is as follows. You can give up to four knocks on the barrel for the nose and the body. And you can give up to five knocks on the barrel for the taste and the finish. And if there's an exceptional category, you can pick one, only one, and give it a butt up up for a total of six. Or five, depending on what it is. I could sniff that all day. That gets a four on the nose, that's for sure. If my dad was watching this podcast, it would be an iPad. Let me see. Can I do this real quick? Sorry, folks. It's kind of cool that I can do this, but let's say i pad. There we go.

Barrel Breakdown Scoring System

SPEAKER_01 26:15

All right, perfect. Fun, you know what I mean? Real life happens while you're podcasting. And we don't edit. So let's go. Body the body gets a four. I mean, it's it's it's it's a big body. All right, taste.

SPEAKER_02 26:50

That's a four, too. Out of five.

SPEAKER_01 26:59

Why is that? Yeah, that should go up higher there. It's dropping down. Holy man. My Thor hammer. Oh, yeah. Now the finish. For a seven, eight-year-old. The finish is, but there's a little toasted oak oaky. So I'm gonna say four two. So we put it at a sixteen out of eighteen, as of now. I'm gonna put them side by side. This is the twenty twenty five, so I get to put a little bit more in there. All right. So now we come to the 2026 release. Let's do the back. Now the back is just a little bit different. From the makers, okay, Starhill Farm Whiskey from the Makers Mark Distillery embodies our commitment to caring for nature in service of our land and or whiskey. And or whiskey. Our annual release marries two mash bills, one of wheat and malted barley, and another of 100% malted wheat. Carefully matured and bottled at cast drink. This whiskey reveals nature's gift in their truest form, offering a spectrum of soft, sweet, and complex flavors. Star Hill Farm Whiskey is the ultimate reconnection of Whiskey Maker to land to discover how Maker's Mark is dedicated to the education and adoption of regenerative agriculture in the service of our land. Find out more at StarhillFarm.com. We did that. And then it's signed by Rob Samuel. They did these paper labels are made from 100% recycled materials, wheat materials, wheat fibers, and makers mark paper waste. Estate whiskey certified. It's pretty cool.

2026 Release What Changed

SPEAKER_01 29:24

So now this one's a 700, which is fine because I wish everything went to 700 because I don't need 750 milliliters of every whiskey that I have. Especially the way that they're coming in. All right. Like I said, I want to throw out that my good friend John Ritt got me this bottle in Chicago. And I opened it yesterday, and knowing what I know and we talked about, I just took the cap off like this. And I let it sit for over 24 hours with the cap off. Best idea of my life ever. So we are going to explain how Maker's Mark has intentionally changed directions instead of repeating their first success. They experimented. The major differences, the three wheat varieties, all right? Soft red winter wheat, hard red wheat, and hard white wheat. A much larger percentage. Okay, so in this variety off the first one, it was so when you read the label, this one says sixty percent malted wheat opposed to twenty two per no, twenty-seven percent malted soft red winter wheat, and then twenty-seven percent wheat, opposed to fifty-one percent soft red winter wheat, and then to finish it up, eleven percent malted barley instead of twenty two percent malted barley. So what did they got? They got more malted, soft winter, no malted wheat. The more they they've got six two percent, almost two and a half

2026 Tastes Like Caramel Chocolate

SPEAKER_01 32:15

times more than 27% that was in it before, and then 51% soft winter wheat, and 27% you know, just regul wheat, and then half as much malted barley. So they went full to the malted wheat. Now it's age 78 years, and it's 116.4 proof. Now this I don't have enough in there. I need a little more in there. Twenty twenty six open for a day. This one is pulling caramel and toasted wheat and toasted off the nose. It's fantastic. Smells so Burman esque. Caramel vanilla flavor. And then the finish is just milk duds. It's crazy. It's totally crazy. It's exactly what you taste in your mouth after you just chewed a milk dud. And it's still going. They really, really, I think that's what happens when you from the malted wheat. It's not a malted, there's too caramely to be a malted milk ball. There's caramel it, so now we're talking. So now we're talking. To me, this tastes like a chocolate caramel swirl malt. Vanilla malt. Vanilla malt where you add caramel and chocolate ribbons in it. It's it's unbelievable. If you can, you need to get a hold of this bottle. Make sure you open it, cuz yesterday it was too oaky. Today, no way after letting it sit open. Most everything I would that is so good. All right. I will have to say the nose. I'll give the nose. It's not as as as it's got the caramel and whatever, but I it's very subtle. So the nose gets a three. The body, that's a four.

SPEAKER_02 36:07

The taste is a five with a but up and a five for the finish.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

Total of eighteen out of eighteen. So now I say last year's is a sixteen out of eighteen, and this year's is an eighteen out of eighteen, and I just wonder what's gonna happen to it as we go further down the line. Maybe we'll revisit that in another podcast and talk about how things get better with time. Does my finding between the two? I'm gonna put them right up and see if my scoring matches what they do head to head. Randy and Kirk, I see that you're not fighting for super chats on YouTube tonight, that's for sure. Thank you, Randy Ford and Kirk Ivanovich Ivankovich, sorry. I really appreciate those two super chats from last week. That was amazing. All right, now we'll try it this way.

SPEAKER_02 38:31

God.

Head To Head Winner And Blend Tip

SPEAKER_01 39:09

I would I'd say if you got both bottles, mix them. That's a pretty good mix mixture. All right, everybody. That covers it. I want to throw out that this Saturday we still have a couple spots left for anybody who would like to join us in our Scotchy Bourbon Boys, Crystal Glen Karen, and then also Crystal Decanter Club meeting. The tasting is a food pairing mixed with fantastic bourbons. I'm still deciding whether I'm going to do this blind or am going to do it so you know what you're tasting. But whatever I'm gonna do, it's gonna be some damn good, really, really good bourbons and whiskies, some of the best stuff that I've got. I don't, I basically reserve these for this tasting. So I don't buy stuff for it to sit on my shelf. I buy it to taste it and and drink it. So this is my way that if you become part of the Crystal Decanter or Glenn Cairn Club, it's not cheap, but you basically get uh privileges and priorities, and also once a year I do a tasting that you will be invited for. And Randy was our fourth member. I think Sarah was the fifth, and Steve checked is going to be our sixth. So Randy is

Club Tasting Invite And Bottle Picks

SPEAKER_01 40:48

the first person to enter into the Crystal Decanter Club, and that came with that was a special club because that not only came with the two picks that come with the Crystal Glencaren, which are the the two French licks that we have, the maker's mark would be nice to have, but we that one I never was able to get in and offer that for the new club because we never got the actual pick. But Randy also in this gets the first ever spirit of French lick, William Dalton. He gets William Dalton one and two on our picks, and he gets the Lillian Sinclair, which he loves, and then he also gets one of the last two remaining picks that we did from the Knob Creek, which is the barrel room Scotchy Bourbon Boys select pick, and that was a fantastic bottle. Some I've had some people tell me it was the best knob creek that they ever tasted. So he gets that, and then we'll go from there. So I know that uh Steve's bringing somebody, Roxy and me will be there. Randy, I don't know if your wife's gonna come, but she's invited. If she is, we'll talk about it and maybe I do a little thing for her where she could sniff or whatever along with us. So, and then, but there's a couple more seats available. So if anybody wants to come and they're in the Canton area on Saturday night, please let me know and see if we can work it out that you can be a part of this awesome tasting and pairing. All right, everybody. www.scotchyburbonboys.com for all things Scotchy Bourbon Boys. Remember, we're on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, along with iHeart, Spotify, and Apple. And whether you listen to us or watch us, make sure you leave good feedback that that's fantastic on, especially on Apple, please. And then also become members. You can become a member on Facebook, you can become a member on YouTube. And super chats are always greatly appreciated. Every single cent that we put into this that we get, we make from our sponsors, everything's dumped right back into it, whether it goes to travel expenses, bourbons that we taste, or equipment that we have to buy. So it's all every every year it ends up as not being able to write off everything that we did. So every every single cent and every single penny is greatly appreciated. And remember, good bourbon equals good times and good friends. Remember to drink responsibly, don't drink and drive, and live your life uncut and unfiltered. And AI will take us out

Reviews Memberships And Final Thanks

SPEAKER_01 44:12

of the summarizes, unfold or not all data. You can't go to the choice to yours, and you lay it out when you walk through that door.

SPEAKER_00 45:14

That's fantastic.

SPEAKER_04 45:16

You can get ball.