Maker’s Mark Distillery is getting a new master distiller and general manager, Denny Potter, who will be succeeding Victoria MacRae-Samuels, currently Vice President of Operations and Plant Manager at Maker’s Mark. She will be relocating to the Global Innovation Center in Clermont, Ky., as Senior Director, Global Quality for Beam Suntory.
MacRae-Samuels, who joined Jim Beam in 1989, became Director of Operations at the Maker’s Mark Distillery in 2008 and, shortly thereafter in 2010, was promoted to Vice President of Operations, becoming the only woman to hold such position in the spirits industry. An exceptional leader committed to operational excellence, MacRae-Samuels won several major industry awards and was twice named Distillery Manager of the Year by Whisky Magazine. We interviewed her in 2013, and you can hear the interview here:
Greg Davis, the current Master Distiller at Maker’s Mark, will be taking on a new role as Director of Distillation at Jim Beam’s Clermont and Boston, Ky. plants, where he will focus his extensive skill and expansive knowledge on Jim Beam and The Small Batch Bourbon Collection.
Returning to Maker’s Mark as Master Distiller and General Manager is Denny Potter, who spent the last eight years at Heaven Hill, where he has been Master Distiller and VP of operations since 2010. Potter began his career at Maker’s Mark before joining Heaven Hill.
In announcing the changes, Rob Samuels, Global General Manager & Chief Distillery Officer of Maker’s Mark, said:
“Victoria and Greg are both moving on to very important and meaningful positions that are ideally suited to their exceptional skills and expertise, and I wish them great success in their new roles.
“I am thrilled to welcome Denny back to the Maker’s Mark Distillery. He will be instrumental in maintaining and preserving the way we handcraft our bourbon, the quality of our whisky and our ongoing commitment to best practices and conservation at the Distillery.”
“I am gratified and humbled to be rejoining the Maker’s Mark Distillery team,” Potter said. “I am forever indebted to the Shapira family for the opportunity to build on the Heaven Hill legacy of distilling. It has always been a dream of mine to be a Master Distiller and a part of our industry’s rich heritage, and now, I have the honor and privilege of returning to Maker’s Mark as an ambassador and established leader for the organization. I could not be more appreciative nor more grateful to Rob for giving me this opportunity.”
Jane Bowie, who has been with Maker’s Mark for over a decade, has been promoted from Distillery Maturation Specialist to Director of Private Select and Diplomat Program.
Ms. Bowie began her career as the first international Diplomat and Market Specialist for Maker’s Mark, playing an instrumental role in the cultivation and development of the brand in Asia, Europe and South America, with a special emphasis on the United Kingdom.
As Director of Private Select, Ms. Bowie will lead and continue to champion one of the industry’s most innovative programs, the Maker’s Mark Private Select Experience, as well as oversee the expanding Diplomat program, which is a key strategic mandate for the brand.