Announced this morning, Marge Samuels, wife of Maker’s Mark founder Bill Samuels, Sr., will be inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame during next week’s Bourbon Festival. Over sixty years ago, Marge made invaluable contributions to Maker’s Mark and in turn, the bourbon industry as a whole. She is credited as the mastermind behind the iconic bottle (design, label, red wax), the Maker’s Mark name & trademark, and the aesthetic and emphasis on tourism at the National Historic Landmark distillery in Loretto, KY – a lady well before her time. As this year’s only inductee, Marge will be the fifth woman to ever be inducted and the first woman directly connected with a distillery to receive the bourbon industry’s highest honor.

Congratulations Marge from your friends at Bourbon & Oak and thank you for your years of dedication to America’s native spirit. Cheers!