From the Vault: My interview with Bill Samuels, Jr., CEO, Maker's Mark bourbon whiskey

During his 35-year tenure production rose from 65,000 to 900,000 cases per year.

When a publicist told me Bill Samuels, Jr., was coming to Washington, DC and I could meet him, I did not hesitate. Here was the chance to sit with the guy who had helped take bourbon from being a sleepy, your-grandpa’s-drink to being a cool spirit that was quaffed by younger generations and that was exported worldwide.

Bill could have spent his time with policymakers on Capitol Hill or the deep-pocketed corporate barons in town. Yet, he was willing to spend time with me at a dive bar. And he had no agenda—he was game to sit and let me lob questions at him.

Listen to the interview and you’ll get a sense of one of the things that helped Bill turn Maker’s Mark into a mega-brand: his charming enthusiasm for the product. Near the end of the interview Bill hinted at a new, secret product to come—which turned out to be Maker’s 46, a snazzier version of the original product.

Bill retired from his top-perch at the company five months after I interviewed him. His son Rob took over and grew the company more and expanded its visitor’s experience in Loretto, Kentucky.

(Recorded: 12/14/2009)

Kevin R. Kosar is the author of Whiskey: A Global History and edits Beverages, Books, and More.