Maker’s Mark partners with artist Ashley Longshore for a limited-edition bourbon label benefiting Vital Voices. Personalize yours free through March 2026.
Picture this: you’re standing in your favorite spirits shop, scanning rows of bourbon bottles, when one practically leaps off the shelf. It’s dripping with color, bursting with blooms, and covered in gems that would make your grandmother’s jewelry box jealous.
That’s the magic Ashley Longshore just brought to Maker’s Mark for Women’s History Month.
For every personalized Maker’s Mark label you create through March, the distillery donates a dollar to Vital Voices, up to $50,000. It’s bourbon that celebrates spirited women while actually supporting them.
The limited-edition collaboration marks the third year Maker’s Mark has partnered with the nonprofit, but it’s the first time they’ve tapped an artist as unapologetically bold as Longshore. If you’ve spent any time in the contemporary art scenes of New York, Los Angeles, or New Orleans, you know her work. Big. Bright. Impossible to ignore.
How a Pop Art Powerhouse Reimagined an Iconic Bourbon Label
Ashley Longshore doesn’t do subtle.
The Southern-born, self-taught artist built her empire by rejecting traditional gallery models and embracing maximalism with a wink. Her Instagram feed reads like a love letter to excess: hot pink Chanel logos, oversized portraits of cultural icons, and enough glitter to blind a disco ball. So when Maker’s Mark approached her to design a label honoring co-founder Margie Samuels, the result was predictably spectacular.
“When I make art, I go big, I go joyful and I go full color…”
Ashley Longshore
“When I make art, I go big, I go joyful and I go full color. Collaborating with Maker’s Mark to celebrate spirited women like the brand’s co-founder Margie Samuels felt like pouring that same energy onto the bottle’s label,” said Ashley Longshore. “This design celebrates women who burst into the world with color and courage — fearless women who think big and command attention wherever they go.”
The label itself is a visual feast. Bee-pollinating blooms from Star Hill Farm sprawl across the design, nodding to the Kentucky landscape where Maker’s Mark has been crafted since 1953. Diamonds, pearls, and gems scattered throughout pay tribute to Southern women who’ve always understood that a little sparkle never hurt anyone. It’s the kind of design that makes you want to display the empty bottle on your bar cart long after the bourbon’s gone.
For cocktail enthusiasts in London, Miami, or Hong Kong who appreciate both artistry and advocacy, this release hits differently. You’re not just buying bourbon. You’re commissioning a tiny piece of original art while supporting women’s leadership globally.
The Woman Who Made Maker’s Mark What It Is Today
Here’s what most bourbon drinkers don’t know: the iconic red wax dipping, the distinctive bottle shape, even the name Maker’s Mark all came from Margie Samuels. While her husband Bill focused on perfecting the bourbon itself (that soft red winter wheat recipe that creates those signature caramel and vanilla notes), Margie built everything else. She was the brand before branding became an industry.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council, women now make up nearly 40% of whiskey drinkers, a demographic shift that would probably make Margie smile. She was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame as one of its first women, and her influence extends beyond marketing. She essentially created the blueprint for the modern Bourbon Trail visitor experience, understanding that people wanted to connect with the story behind their spirits.
“From the very beginning, my grandmother Margie Samuels set a perfectly unreasonable standard that endures today…”
Rob Samuels
maker’s mark
“From the very beginning, my grandmother Margie Samuels set a perfectly unreasonable standard that endures today—every bottle still hand-dipped in red wax, every barrel rotated by hand, and every decision guided by the brand’s higher purpose,” said Rob Samuels, managing director for Maker’s Mark and eighth generation whisky maker. “Ashley Longshore shares that same pioneering and uncompromising spirit. We’re thrilled to bring her art to life on a Maker’s Mark bottle while supporting the meaningful causes championed by Vital Voices.”
That “perfectly unreasonable” standard resonates with anyone who’s ever ordered top-shelf at a craft cocktail bar in Tokyo or Paris. You’re paying for obsessive attention to detail, for the knowledge that someone cared enough to do things the hard way. Every Maker’s Mark bottle is still hand-dipped in that red wax, a process that’s wildly inefficient and utterly essential to the brand’s identity.
Why This Limited-Edition Maker’s Mark Label Matters Beyond the Bottle
The flavor profile of Maker’s Mark remains unchanged by the new label, thankfully. You’ll still get those smooth notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak, with a creamy mouthfeel that comes from using wheat instead of rye. It’s the kind of bourbon that works beautifully in an Old Fashioned or sipped neat while you’re contemplating which inspirational woman deserves her name on your personalized label.
The personalization process is refreshingly simple. Visit makersmarkpersonalize.com, design your label, and order it for free. The bottle itself you’ll need to purchase separately from your favorite retailer. It’s the same model luxury brands use for customization, except here there’s a charitable component that feels genuine rather than performative.
Women continue leading across every department at Maker’s Mark, from product development and farm operations to sustainability initiatives. The distillery recently achieved both B Corp and Regenified Certification, driven by practices at Star Hill Farm that would impress even the most hardcore environmentalists sipping natural wine in Copenhagen or Melbourne. This isn’t greenwashing. It’s a distillery genuinely trying to operate responsibly while making exceptional bourbon.
The fun-loving spirit of both Longshore’s art and Margie’s original vision creates something rare in the spirits world: a product that doesn’t take itself too seriously while maintaining impeccable standards. It’s relatable in the best way. You can display this bottle at your next dinner party and have a story to tell beyond “I like good bourbon.”
FAQ: Ashley Longshore Maker’s Mark Label
Q: How do I get a personalized Ashley Longshore Maker’s Mark label?
A: Visit makersmarkpersonalize.com through the end of March 2026 to create your free custom label. Add the name of an inspirational woman in your life, and Maker’s Mark will donate $1 to Vital Voices (up to $50,000 total). You’ll need to purchase a 750mL bottle separately from a retailer.
Q: What does Maker’s Mark bourbon taste like?
A: Maker’s Mark uses soft red winter wheat instead of rye, creating a sweeter, creamier bourbon with flavors of caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak. The finish is smooth and balanced, making it perfect for cocktails or sipping neat.
Q: Is the Ashley Longshore label available year-round?
A: No, this limited-edition collaboration runs through March 2026 in celebration of Women’s History Month. The standard personalization program continues throughout the year, but the special Longshore design is available only during this campaign period.
Raising a Glass to Women Who Changed the Game
The Ashley Longshore Maker’s Mark collaboration proves that limited editions can be more than collector’s items gathering dust. When art, advocacy, and exceptional bourbon converge, you get something worth celebrating. Whether you’re honoring your grandmother, your mentor, or the barista who remembers your complicated coffee order, this is a gift that carries weight beyond the bottle.
Head to makersmarkpersonalize.com before March ends. Create your label. Pour yourself two fingers of bourbon. Toast to the spirited women who refuse to be ignored.
