Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inducted Chris Morris, Vice President & Master Distiller, Brown-Forman Corp., Bill Samuels, Jr., Chairman Emeritus of Maker’s Mark Distillery (Lifetime Achievement), the late Harry J. Shapira, Executive Vice President, Heaven Hill Brands, and Jerry Summers, Director of Community Relations, Beam Suntory
Samuels, who retired in 2011 after 35 years as President of Maker’s Mark, was honored with the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award. He was described as one of the most monumental icons in the modern era of Bourbon. Samuels previously had been elected a charter member of the Hall of Fame in 2001 and a Lifetime Honorary Member of the KDA Board of Directors in 2011.
Samuels’ marketing genius and innovative leadership helped propel Maker’s Mark and its signature red wax to one of the world’s most recognized brands. He also is a lifelong champion of education, health care and business in the Commonwealth as one of its greatest ambassadors.
“Having grown up around some of the true legends in the industry, this award is pretty heady stuff for me,” Samuels said. “Any ‘lifetime achievement,’ in my case, is largely built on the opportunity I had to learn from the best in the business.”
Eric Gregory, ceo of the Kentucky Distillers Association, and Rob Samuels, Bill Jr.’s son who is the eighth generation of the Samuels family in the distilling business and who is now Chief Operating Officer at Maker’s Mark, presented Bill with a hand-crafted plaque in the shape of Kentucky made entirely from barrel staves – and, of course, dipped in red wax.
“It’s been said before that my dad would rather be different than right,” Rob Samuels said. “I can tell you from first-hand experience that, in fact, he’s often been both.”
The Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award was named in 2015 for Beam, who joined Heaven Hill in 1960 as a sixth-generation distiller in his storied family. He became Master Distiller in 1975 and earned numerous awards for distilling, aging and selecting some of the world’s most acclaimed Bourbons.
He was named Master Distiller Emeritus in 2013 shortly after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. His public advocacy for ALS research, care and awareness has generated millions for his “Promise of Hope” fund.
Beam passed away in January at the age of 75. The crowd of Bourbon barons and dignitaries at today’s ceremony stood and paused for a moment of silence in reverence of his passion, loyalty, old-fashioned work ethic and craftsmanship.