From an email I recieved today from Rob Samuels, Ambassador in Chief at Makers Mark:
"You know the story of Maker’s Mark®, but maybe not the whole story. While my grandfather can take full credit for crafting the soft, full-flavored, distinctive taste of Maker’s Mark®, it was my grandmother, Margie Samuels, who named all of the children and the family whisky.
I am honored to announce that after nearly 60 years, my grandmother is getting some well-deserved credit. Margie Samuels has been selected as this year’s only inductee into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, established by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, in recognition of her role as a pioneer in the industry. Margie’s eye for design was truly visionary, although she’d never use words like that to describe her idea.
Aside from relinquishing her kitchen for use as my grandfather’s test lab, Margie was the one who came up with the distinctive design of the Maker’s Mark package – from the unique bottle shape to the name. Inspired by a pewterer’s mark, Margie suggested Maker’s Mark. She even came up with the original design for the label. She liked things simple and chose black hand-lettering on cream-colored paper, putting her calligraphy skills to good use.
Margie crafted the “maker’s mark,” beginning with Star Hill Farm, the family property, and then adding the S for Samuels and the IV that symbolizes the generations of our family’s distillers. She also insisted the trademarked symbol be molded into the glass of each bottle of Maker’s Mark. Inspired by her collection of 19th-century bottles of cognac, she got out the family deep fryer, filled it with wax and dipped the first bottles right in the kitchen. The family deep fryer would never be the same!
Margie will officially be inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame on Wednesday, September 17, and, in celebration, we will host complimentary distillery tours that day for all visitors who wear red shirts and mention Margie’s name. We raise our glass to her as we celebrate National Bourbon Heritage Month."
We at Fat Boy Heaven also raise our glasses to Margie and all the other women who have made Bourbon America's official spirit.
