More than 60 years ago, Kentucky distiller Bill Samuels, Sr., founder of Maker's Mark, set out simply to make a bourbon whisky that he would enjoy drinking. Using soft, red winter wheat in the mashbill instead of the traditional distiller's rye, he created a premium bourbon that was full-flavored, yet soft and never bitter: Maker's Mark. Bill Samuels, Sr., transformed bourbon from a "commodity" into a premium spirit, and today Maker's Mark continues to be made with care in exactly the same way. Since the first bottle sold in 1958, each iconic bottle is still hand-dipped with a red wax by people, not machines.