maker's mark

Our tour of the Makers Mark distillery was well done. The tour was informative and walked us though the bourbon making process. The tour lasted a little more than an hour. The tasting room was fun and our guide described the tasting process and flavoring of the 4 samples. The gift shop was busy and packed. So the blessing and curse - the wifi was out during our visit so the tour was provided free of charge (regularly -$9). However we later learned that this meant any purchase in the gift shop required a check or cash (which we were not prepared for) and no access to some of computer kiosks through out the property. Overall a fun outing - we would go again.

I have been a Maker's Mark Ambassador for 10 years. I have previously visited Maker's Mark four times. This was my fifth visit. I went in 2013 and picked up my two bottles as allotted as an Ambassador when "my" barrel matured. Over the last 10 years the tour has gone from free to $7 to $9. I am losing interest in visiting as I don't quite see the value in paying $9 for a tour. Especially as a "valued Ambassador." I would think an Ambassador of 10 years would at least get a half-priced entrance or free entrance. I even brought two other people with me.Let me review the tour: you assemble in the red house visitor center. Nice bathrooms and old photos. In the "kitchen" you'll be offered a cup of bourbon coffee (delicious and appreciated on a cold morning). Lee was our tour guide. There were between 12-15 people in our group-I wasn't expecting that many at 10:50am on a Monday. He was good, but it was hard to hear him at times. I felt he left out a lot of information that had been presented on prior tours.It's interesting to see the process of making Maker's Mark and the setting is beautiful. You'll walk through the print shop, the bottling shop (they had shut down for lunch, so that was disappointing), a rick house, and end in their relatively new tasting room.We tasted four different products: Maker's White (white dog), Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, and Cask Strength.As you leave the tasting room and head towards the gift shop you'll walk under the new Dale Chihuly art glass installation. (It's beautiful, but was it necessary? How much did that cost? Is that why you keep raising the ticket price-to pay for stuff like this?) and you'll be given a bourbon chocolate. Our tour lasted about 75 minutes.In the gift shop you can purchase a variety of Maker's-branded items (glassware/bar ware, apparel) and Maker's bourbon you can hand-dip in the red wax.I was surprised and disappointed more wasn't made of the Ambassador program. There were two of us (of 12-15) who are Ambassadors on the tour and it we received no special welcome and Lee barely mentioned the program (maybe there are too many of us or owner Suntory wants to end the program?) but it was a let down after 10 years as an Ambassador.I won't bother going out of my way to Burks' Spring again. It IS out of the way and if I have to buy a ticket for a tour I've now taken five times I'll sit it out.If you're doing the Bourbon Trail and collecting passport stamps, you'll need to come here. You do not need to take (and pay for) a tour to receive a stamp. But, as long as you're driving all the way out here you should tour it once. It is one of the better ones.

My wife and I "rode" the bourbon trail, we visited about 5 distillers and Marker's Mark is by far the best! The tour guide was very nice and gave out information that was clear and answered all of our groups questions with a smile on her face. The distillery is sekf was kind of off the beaten path but well worth the effort to go and see. The tour is not as commercial as was the tour at Jim Beam distillery and had a more down home feel. You can sense the pride that these people take in what they make and in their presentation to the public. Overall this was what made the trip worthwhile.

The tour was very nice, the guide was very friendly and interactive, I was not as impressed with the tastings as I thought I would be. The one that we tasted that we actually liked was not even offered for sale. But all in all an nice way to spend a few hours.

This was my third stop on the Bourbon Trail. This review is based solely on my experiences at other distilleries. Overall, this tour was pleasant. My guide, Lindsay, was very knowledgeable and helpful. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the the tour in comparison to that of Woodford Reserve, but the facilities were somewhat similar. I compare this tour to Buffalo Trace more than anything. The four "shots" of different Maker's products (at the end of the tour) made the expense worth the card-swipe.After the tour, consider purchasing a bottle from the gift shop to enjoy dipping. If you have Twitter, use the hashtag #justdipped for even more fun.I recommend visiting.

It was awesome hard to express the old time country feel we were welcome from the moment we arrived the tour was awesome guide was so knowledgeable there was no part of the distillery that wasn't open to us ...we all really enjoyed this tour ...and I don't even drink

Even if you are not a bourbon fan, the tour is very interesting. Bourbon is quite popular right now and per the distillery they are running 24/7 to keep up. We were amazed that the entire operation is not very big at all.They took us through the fermenting vat area where you could see the mash, as it is called, bubbling as the carbon dioxide was released. The bottling line is fully automated except for when the bottles are put on the line then again when 4 people are dipping the tops of the bottles with their trademark wax. I would recommend this for everyone except children.

Makers Mark is so well known I hope I can add something useful. I hadn't been to the distillery for years and even in the middle of winter it is delightful. So neat and pretty with all the black and red buildings. I could see that there had been many additions since my last trip. I saw the new cafe but we didn't go in. The tour was very pleasant and informative. I was sorry to see that they charge $9/person. The Chihuly art installment was amazing and the tasting was, while not as personal as at some other distilleries, very good. The guide was sweet and friendly. Obviously, Makers Mark is still a place that has a family feel in spite of being so famous.

I barely know bourbon before getting here (not being from here), but huge fan now after visiting. Great location well preserved with lot of insights on the tour. Their bourbons just taste great and you can see there is passion in what they do.Quote of the day: "there is more bourbon aging in Kentucky than people aging"

This was my wife and Is favorite distillery. Not only did they have fun, informative guides, and beautiful grounds to tour, but had a great tasting experience to boot. It was interesting trying the different stages of bourbon, including the "over done."Well worth the stop.

The Distillery is exactly how you would expect an American Distillery to be, makes you fell like a true American Icon. The tour guide was wonderful and personable. They allow you to do some tasting at the end and you will not be disappointed. The Bourbon is super smooth. By the way this place is super pro Military, all Military is no cost to enter and you get a gift at the end.

Wow, in the middle of nowhere, but really worth the effort. We questioned the GPS twice, taking into consideration we were in the single track roads. The distillery house smaller, but you get the feeling there is more pride in the the whole brand creating process. Great tasting, gift shop well stocked.

Did this tour as part of the Bourbon Trail and it was definitely one of, if not the best tour we've been on. First of all, the grounds when you enter their campus are immaculate and beautiful - the building colors are unique and they have obviously done a lot to make it appealing. Then, the tour itself is full of information and interesting facts. Our tour guide, Courtney, was incredible, and provided great info with lots of humor and side stories added in. We had done a tour at another distillery just prior to this one, and had left there with many questions and misunderstandings of the distilling process. It was like Courtney read our mind, as she answered all of the questions from the previous place before we even asked them. And, at the end of the tour, the extra touch of allowing you to dip your own bottles for that signature Maker's Mark look is a great way to add memories and ensure that you leave the place with a great impression. Highly recommend this place as either a stop on the Bourbon Trail, or just to get an idea of how the bourbon distiling process works.

It was my favorite bourbon,so thats where we began. it is a beautiful setting- great old buildings-full tour from casks to bottling,to labelling to trademark hand dipping- have a new appreciation for this distillery & Makers Mark 46--so smoooothdipped our own bottle,became embassadors to our own cask- great marketing- great distillery -even though its in the middle of nowher

Just when you think you have seen and done it all, another distillery surprises you...as was the case with Maker's Mark. Very unique atmosphere..a lot of history, and classy tasting room! Our tour guide Amanda was great...a lot of product to chose from...most of it delicious! Definitely worth the visit!