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OUR PURPOSE

FLAVORFUL WHISKY CRAFTED SUSTAINABLY.

Rob Samuels headshot in wheat field
rob's signature

“Cultivating bourbon that betters the world.”

“Honoring our founders' vision and the generations of makers who shaped us, we craft the world’s most flavorful bourbon by empowering our team, investing in our community, and leading the transition to regenerative agriculture—ensuring our collective craft betters the world for generations to come.”

 


Rob Samuels - Managing Director, Maker’s Mark Distillery, PBC

Maker's Mark is committed to shaping the future of bourbon

Through innovation and investment for the better of people and planet.

makers mark bottle

A FORCE FOR GOOD
Looking after the land, that looks after us

B-CORP™ CERTIFICATION

As a B-Corp™, Maker's Mark is now part of a small but growing circle of global companies leading the way in creating a more sustainable future.

OUR B CORP™ SCORE IS 87.2. And WE'RE NOT DONE YET.

In January of 2022, Maker’s Mark became the largest distillery in the world to achieve B Corp Certification, recognizing our positive impact on team members, community, the environment, and customers.

B-CORP™ CERTIFICATION
Regenified™ Certification

REGENIFIED™ CERTIFICATION

Star Hill Farm is proud to be home to the world's first distillery to achieve Regenified™ Tier 3 certification, innovating in regenerative agriculture that is as vital to the future of our land as it is to the taste of our bourbon.

BOURBON BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP

Soil health impacts flavor. To that end, 86% of our grains which makes up all of our corn and wheat now come from ten select growers who practice aspects of regenerative farming.

100M ACRES INITIATIVE

We are a founding member of the Common Ground 100M Acres Initiative. Currently, our corn and wheat (86% of Maker’s Mark’s mashbill) is grown with regenerative principles. We strive to source all our grain from Regenified Certified farms very soon.

FINDING “COMMON GROUND”

To spread the word, we hosted and participated in screenings of "Common Ground," a documentary on how regenerating soil can stabilize the climate, restore ecosystems, boost food production, and help sequester carbon dioxide.

100M ACRES INITIATIVE
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HOW WE'RE CREATING A BETTER TOMORROW
Featured Stories

ESTATE WHISKEY CERTIFIED™

We always strive to produce the best liquid that’s reflective of the nature which made it. The Estate Whiskey Alliance® values quality, locality, and sustainability in its certified products. We’ve earned our first entry into this exclusive collection of whiskies thanks to our first-ever whisky, Star Hill Farm Whisky. Efforts are under-way for other Maker’s Mark products soon.

WHITE OAK RESEARCH FOREST

With the help of the University of Kentucky, we’ve gathered 300 different variations of white oak and over 5,000 trees for preservation research to better understand the wood that makes our barrels. This is one the nation's largest white oak forests, and we're pleased to contribute to there being more trees around today than there were fifty years ago.

LEED®-CERTIFIED CELLAR

The world's first whisky cellar and the home of Maker's Mark 46 is LEED® certified, another commitment to sustainability. The vegetative roof provides significant environmental benefits. The native plants on the roof provide a wildlife habitat as well as a protection from day-to-night temperature fluctuations, naturally cooling the cellar and reducing our energy usage.

ESTATE WHEAT PLOT

We have been growing varietal plots of wheat consisting of over thirty unique wheat strains to explore how we can maximize the flavor of our bourbon through agriculture.

WATER SANCTUARY

The limestone shelf near the distillery is key to crafting our unique taste. We own, protect, and enrich all seventy-six acres of our main lake's watershed.

APIARY

Bees are essential to a healthy ecosystem and encourage biodiversity at Star Hill Farm. The fresh honey used in our Gold Rush cocktails at Star Hill Provisions® is just a bonus.

SOLAR-POWERED

Our warehouses in Loretto are all powered by solar energy - creating efficiency while letting nature help us in the aging process.

ZERO LANDFILL

At Star Hill we have a variety of programs that help us achieve our zero landfill waste goal, from recycling and composting to pulverizing used glass into soft sand on our trailways.

 

 

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White Oak Research Forest
LEED®-Certified Cellar
Estate Wheat Plot
Water Sanctuary
Apiary
Solar-Powered
Zero Landfill

DISCOVER OUR ZERO WASTE PROGRAM

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GLASS TO SAND
We pulverize twenty tons of glass waste per month. The resulting sand is used on nature trails across our campus, roads across the state, and by twenty employees at home.
perforated cardboard
CARDBOARD PERFORATOR
Our team now upcycles perforated cardboard — an initiative began by one of our employees — using it to package fragile items in place of plastic.
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HOTROT 1206
This onsite composting system speeds up composting, breaking down restaurant waste, garden waste, grass clippings, leaves, grain dust, and barrel char.
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BIOSOLIDS
Utilizing what was once a waste, we provide nutrient-rich fertilizer generated from an onsite wastewater treatment plant to employees. We return approximately 931 tons of nutrient-rich biosolids to the soil each year through partnership with team members.
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REWORLD™ — WASTE TO ENERGY
Waste that cannot be recycled, reused, or composted is sent to Reworld,™ a waste-to-energy facility.
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RECYCLING
In 2024, we recycled 111 tons of material through our extensive recycling program. Construction debris, broken pallets, shipping crates, and other wood are used for animal bedding, mulch, and wood fuels.

HOW WE’RE CAPTURING ENERGY INSTEAD OF WASTING IT

WARMING UP TO HEAT RECOVERY

-293 tons of CO2

49% energy savings per bourbon batch

Preheating hot water through heat recovery

Eliminating obsolete refrigerants

Reducing natural gas consumption

DISCOVER OUR REGENERATIVE ALLIANCE PARTNERS

We're creating an Alliance of like-minded farmers, ranchers, and industry partners who are committed to serving as a catalyst for change in agriculture practices worldwide.

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higher mark journal cover

WELCOME TO A HIGHER MARK

This Impact Journal is all about the good stuff. By that we mean sustainability, regenerative agriculture, and its delicious effects on bourbon. Here we’ll publish highlights from the field, showcasing our commitment to flavor through innovation and investment for the betterment of the planet and its people.