Denny Potter: Marking his return to Maker's

04 April, 2019

In June 2018 he received a text message from Rob Samuels, third-generation family member of Maker’s Mark. “I just thought it had a project it wanted to work on together, but when I phoned him that night he began to give me the story of Maker’s Mark’s history and I said: ‘Rob, I know this story. What are you getting at?’”

Samuels offered him the job of general manager and master distiller at Maker’s and his first day was on October 1, 2018.

“If somebody had said a year ago I would leave Heaven Hill I’d have laughed in their face. I’m sure some people probably think I’m an idiot for leaving such a phenomenal company, but there’s something about Maker’s Mark that’s special, that you can’t replicate. The culture and operations of this brand are genuinely unique.”

But being in charge of such an operation is nothing compared to looking after and coordinating the active lives of two children. “The kids are both heavily involved with sports so one of my biggest challenges is trying to be a calm spectator, and now that football season is over the blood pressure has dropped a little bit.

“I usually have to sit separate from my wife because she worries so much about safety that it makes me worry.”

Although it’s still early doors, it’s clear Potter intends to be an intrinsic part of Maker’s Mark long into the future.





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