Interview with Bill Samuels, Jr., November 18, 2013

Interview Summary

Bill Samuels Jr. is the son of Maker's Mark creator Bill Samuels Sr. and was responsible for marketing the product for many years. In this interview he talks in great detail about marketing Maker's Mark including the conflict between his own vision and his father's vision for advertising, how they reached a solution, and other challenges they faced marketing bourbon. He also talks at length about his family's genealogy and connections to other distillers in the industry as well as their connections to the Civil War and Quantrill's Raid. He talks about Maker's Mark's bourbon-making process and how it differs from other distilleries. He talks about the process of creating Maker's 46.

Interview Keyword

bourbon Bourbon Industry Branding (Marketing) Distilleries--Kentucky Distillers Kentucky (bourbon) Makers Mark Maker?s Mark Distillery Sales promotion. whisky whiskey

Interview LC Subject

Bourbon whiskey Distillation Genealogy Whiskey Whiskey industry--Kentucky

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.