Two years ago, longtime Maker’s Mark master distiller Denny Potter and head of innovation and blending Jane Bowie announced that they were leaving the Kentucky bourbon distillery to try something new—they were opening the aptly named Potter Jane Distilling Company. Maker’s Mark has obviously been making steady streams of whiskey since their departure, but it was just announced who is taking over as master distiller there: Dr. Blake Layfield.
That name is probably not one that readers are familiar with, unless you happen to follow the intricacies of staffing at major drinks conglomerations, but Layfield is no newcomer to the whiskey industry. The “Dr.” in his name comes from the fact that he holds a doctorate in food science and a general certificate in distilling from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, and he also co-chairs the Research Committee of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Layfield joined Suntory Global Spirits in 2019 (then still called Beam Suntory) after working for Diageo, and his most recent job title was an important mouthful: Maker’s Mark senior director of innovation, blending, and quality. “Visionary leadership has been a critical and consistent factor in the success of Maker’s Mark,” said Rob Samuels, managing director at Maker’s Mark, in a statement. “Blake embodies the brand’s commitment to culture, quality, and a higher purpose, and I am thrilled he and the Maker’s Mark leadership team are guardians of the brand’s legacy and vanguards driving the brand forward.”
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Another promotion at the distillery went to Beth Buckner, who has been working there for over a decade and has played a big role in the Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing series over the past few years. That bourbon series was relaunched and revamped this past June with the new Heart Release, which was finished with two different types of wood staves cooked in different ways to impart flavor into the liquid. Also returning to the lineup this year was the fantastic Cellar Aged bourbon, the oldest (and maybe best) whiskey that Maker’s Mark has ever released. The new edition is a blend of 12- and 13-year-old whiskey that was aged in the distillery’s cooler limestone cellars. And all of this follows last January’s news that Maker’s Mark had topped the list of best-selling American whiskeys at bars and restaurants, an impressive feat in a densely packed field.
You can find the Maker’s Mark lineup available to purchase now from ReserveBar, including past Wood Finishing series releases, the Cask Strength expression, and the 101-proof bourbon.
