Maker's Mark Celebrates 60 Years
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Maker's Mark unveiled a beautiful, hand-blown glass installation called "The Spirit of the Maker" at its distillery in Loretto, Kentucky. World-renowned artist Dale Chihuly created the piece which has been placed in the ceiling of a barrel rackhouse on the property.
Chihuly designed the artwork to span 36' x 6' across the ceiling, using blue, green, amber, and red hues in several layers of blown glass pieces. Chihuly matched the red hue to the color of the wax that is used to seal each Maker's Mark bottle, and there is a piece of red glass that runs throughout the artwork to pay homage to the wax as well.
"The Spirit of the Maker" took nearly six months to complete and was shipped from Tacoma, Wash. to Loretto in 100 boxes. Weighing in at close to 1900 pounds, three workers took five days to install the piece. Lights that shine through the glass from above, giving the rackhouse a beautiful glow as it illuminates the barrels and gives visitors a chance to admire the masterpiece.
In addition to Chihuly's work, the installation also includes a piece of glass that was hand blown by Rob Samuels, Maker's Mark chief operating officer and grandson of founders Bill and Margie Samuels.
"The Spirit of the Maker" is Dale Chihuly's first major piece on display in Kentucky, and visitors can see it at the Maker's Mark Distillery during their regular visiting hours.
The Daily Meal is pleased to be the first national outlet to give you video access to this beautiful artwork.
Follow Eva on Twitter @EvaZaccaria.