Maker’s Mark was established in Kentucky in 1840 and is today the oldest distillery operating on its original site and is designated a National Historic Site. In 1943, Bill Samuel bought an old distillery in the town of Loretto, Kentucky, and began developing a recipe for a unique new bourbon. Eight years later, the recipe was ready. In the manufacture of whiskey, Bill Samuel did not use rye; he added red winter wheat to corn and barley. In search of the perfect ratio of grains, he baked bread with varying ingredients, and the recipe for the most delicious bread was used to make Maker’s Mark bourbon, which was born in 1958. Bill’s wife, Marge Samuel, created the original bottle design that is still used today.