Heaven Hill Names Denny Potter Co-Master Distiller

Denny Potter, currently plant manager, has joined Craig Beam as the Co-Master Distiller at Heaven Hill, the company announced today.

Heaven Hill distills its whiskeys at the historic Bernheim Distillery on the west side of Louisville. They are aged at various locations, but primarily at the company headquarters in Bardstown.

Potter has spent 13 years in distillery operations. He came to Heaven Hill from Jim Beam, where he was Operations Manager at the Frankfort bottling and maturation facility. Prior to that, Potter was General Manager at Beam's Cruzan Rum distillery in St. Croix, USVI, and Director of Distillery and Environmental Operations at Beam's Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto.

“We are very pleased to have Denny continue his growth with the company and within the industry,” Heaven Hill President Max L. Shapira said. “His knowledge of Bourbon production and aging—and his ability to teach and relate these subjects to the trade and consumers—make him an ideal person to help carry forth Heaven Hill’s leadership position and reputation into the future. Denny is grounded in the traditions of our company and industry yet has a keen eye for innovation and emerging trends.”

A native of Louisville, Potter holds an undergraduate degree from Indiana University in Bloomington and an MBA from Indiana University-Southeast.

In addition to responsibility for grain acquisition, distillery operations, maturation, and quality control, master distillers today are a distillery's primary brand ambassadors. One solution to this challenge is multiple master distillers.