B Corp bourbon: Maker's Mark MD Rob Samuels on whiskey sustainability & more

Drinks Adventures - Wine, beer, whisky, gin & more with James Atkinson

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, vodka tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more.
B Corp is a certification program that measures a company’s entire social and environmental impact.
There are now more than 4000 Certified B Corporations around the world, several of which we’ve featured on this podcast: Sipsmith Gin, Stone & Wood Brewing Company, and South Australian winery Unico Zelo.
In February, Maker’s Mark joined this elite group of businesses. It’s the first distillery in Kentucky and the largest distillery in the world to achieve B Corp certification.
And in this special episode of the Drinks Adventures podcast – produced with the support of Maker’s Mark – you’re going to hear about some of the environmental initiatives it’s undertaken to safeguard the future of bourbon, which of course is ultimately an agricultural product.
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We’re joined this episode by Rob Samuels, an eighth generation whiskey maker and the grandson of Maker’s Mark founder, Bill Samuels Senior.
And also with us is Trent Chapman, marketing director Oceania for Beam Suntory, Maker’s Mark’s parent company.
Later on in the interview, we cover the ingredients and production practices that underpin the Maker’s Mark style, and the evolution of the bourbon industry in Kentucky, where ten new distilleries opened in 2021.
The B-Corp milestone comes as Maker’s Mark continues its rapid growth in markets such as Australia.
The distillery released a new expression, Maker’s 46, in 2010. But the international growth has largely been driven by classic Maker’s, which for almost 60 years was the only whiskey it produced.
I asked Rob first up about the significance of this singular focus by Maker’s, at a time when many of its peers are seemingly bringing out new whiskies every other week.
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