Summary
- The Chihuly exhibition at Maker’s Mark connects the distillery’s brand to art and sustainability.
- The “Summer of Sours” program is a new marketing strategy that uses cultural collaborations to sell a lifestyle, not just a product.
Last week, I got on a plane and flew to Louisville then hopped in a car to Bardstown, Kentucky. My destination was Maker’s Mark, where glass artist Dale Chihuly has an exhibition running through December with tours available here.
Chihuly’s glass installations amplified the place, mounted across the brand’s Star Hill Farm. In the main cellar, a massive chandelier of twisted glass hung above rows of barrels. The work was a sharp, powerful piece and though its colorful forms contrasted with the cellar’s pared-down atmosphere, the artist picked a commanding spot for the work to really shine. Chihuly’s work, which bends fire and sand into glass forms that look alive, sat inside a property focused on renewal. The art underscored the distillery’s larger effort to show how whiskey-making can support the environment.
Maker’s Mark is investing heavily in regenerative farming across Star Hill Farm, working to restore soil health and biodiversity. It’s not just a general effort. On a short tour, Amanda Humphrey, the StarHill Farm Advocacy & Experience Manager, showed us the land and eco-friendly processes. She pointed out their active involvement in American white oak conservation through a partnership with the University of Kentucky. The distillery has established the world’s largest repository of American white oak at Star Hill Farm to protect and study a species crucial for Kentucky bourbon.
At some point in the trip we got to experience the Maker’s Mark “Summer of Sours” program. They had just launched an experience made in collaboration with the hosting shop Big Night. The idea was to reframe the whiskey sour as a summer staple by providing a blueprint for new forms of hosting with styled cocktail recipes and curated glassware.
Driving out of Starhill, it was clear that Maker’s Mark is positioning itself as more than a distillery. The Chihuly installations were striking on their own, but together with the farm’s regenerative push and the program, they showed a brand trying to expand how people experience bourbon in contemporary culture.
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