A Day on the Trail: Maker’s Mark Distillery Chihuly Art Exhibit is Magical in the Day and Mystical at Night – Compare Side by Side

Earlier in the year we had a unique opportunity to visit Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky to spend time touring the grounds of Star Hill Farm to see the 2025 Dale Chihuly Art Exhibit. The Chihuly Art exhibit first came to Maker’s in the summer of 2017. The 2025 has been completely reimagined with the return of a few favorites and many new works that have never been seen at the distillery.

Now that summer is over and we are into fall, and soon winter, the number of hours of daylight has greatly decreased. For the most part, we are not fans of the early sunset but, when it comes to visiting Maker’s to see the artwork we don’t mind the early sunset at all. In fact, we kind of love it. The key to visiting this time of year is to start out in the daylight and you’ll see the artwork transition from magical to mystical as the sun sets and the custom lighting gradually takes over. Once the lights take over completely and the sky turns black, the colors of the glass pop.

Which is better, seeing the artwork in the day or seeing the artwork in the dark? The answer is simple, yes. Both are amazing, that is why you need to allow enough time to do the entire path twice. Maker’s recommends you allow at least two hours to see everything. Even if you visited early this year, it’s time to go again before it disappears for another seven years. We have no idea when it will return but the previous exhibit was about seven years ago.

The exhibition features nine dramatic installations across the distillery’s expansive grounds. Guests will be welcomed by Sapphire and Platinum Waterdrop Tower, , a 12-foot piece created in 2017 inspired by the natural watershed at Star Hill Farm. Other highlights include Moonbow Fiori (2025), the End of the Day Persian Chandelier (2015) and the distillery’s first permanent Chihuly installation, Spirit of the Maker (2013), a tribute to Maker’s Mark’s bourbon-making legacy.

Scroll through the photos, play with the slider and take a look at the magical and mystical artwork as it transitions from dawn to dusk and dream of summer days.

If you want to learn more about the artwork, we’ve included an exclusive video about each piece that includes narration and insights from 8th Generation Whiskey Maker Rob Samuels and Britt Cornett, Director Exhibitions at Chihuly Studio.