At Maker’s Mark, bourbon may be the house specialty, but this summer, it’s Dale Chihuly‘s light, glass, and color that shines in equal measure. In a new exhibition mounted across the grounds of its Kentucky distillery, the brand welcomes back the artist for Chihuly x Maker’s Mark, an ode to landscape, legacy and going to uncompromising lengths in pursuit of excellence.
Arriving on the grounds of the brand’s distillery at Star Hill Farm, the exhibition traces Chihuly’s longtime creative relationship with Maker’s Mark through nine sculptural works, from the Sapphire and Platinum Waterdrop Tower (2017), a 12-foot ode to the region’s watershed, to Moonbow Fiori (2025). At the center is Spirit of the Maker (2013), a permanent installation whose vivid palette celebrates the brand’s story, with “red pieces [that] nod to our iconic red wax, and the gold represent[ing] our distinctive soft red winter wheat. The blue pays homage to the water necessary to make our bourbon, and amber—Maker’s Mark bourbon,” Maker’s Mark Managing Director and eighth-generation whisky maker Rob Samuels shares.
“I drew a lot of inspiration from the landscape and architecture of the campus, and I’m excited to return with a new exhibition that responds to this special place,” the artist adds.
Throughout the show, light plays a starring role. “Chihuly was drawn to glass in part because of the way it transmits light and color,” Chihuly Studio President and CEO Leslie Jackson Chihuly explains. “Each artwork is also carefully lit with special equipment, causing it to seemingly glow from within and take on different character by night.” Guests visiting during summer’s long days or autumn’s early dusk are in for different spectacles, making each walk through Star Hill Farm uniquely timed to nature’s rhythms.
For after-dark tours on Saturday evenings, Chihuly (and whisky) fans have access to limited-release pours–Star Hill Farm Whisky, Cellar Aged expressions—and a cocktail tasting experience at Star Hill Provisions, the farm’s recently renovated restaurant. Reopening with a new menu and expanded outdoor patio, the space has seasonal drinks and dishes drawn directly from the farm’s regenerative growing program, led by head mixologist Leslie Krockenberger and chef Richard Knight.
While Chihuly’s blown-glass installations reimagine conventional ideas of form and function, shape and light, they also underscore a shared spirit that has animated Maker’s Mark since 1953, and the unconventional decisions that have made Maker’s Mark an icon.
Chihuly x Maker’s Mark is on view through December 7, with tours available on the Maker’s Mark website.
in your life?
