Where Was the Frankfort Distillery?

The Frankfort Distillery, when it was in Frankfort.

It's a trick question.

If you guessed Frankfort, Kentucky, you are only half right. After Prohibition, the Frankfort Distillery relocated to Shively (a suburb of Louisville), but it kept the Frankfort name.

Confusing? Welcome to the world of American whiskey history. The story of the Frankfort Distillery is a perfect metaphor for the complications that arise when you try to understand the origins of America's whiskey industry.

For the whole story, check out the new, September issue (Volume 19, Number 1) of The Bourbon Country Reader, available now.

In this issue, we also look into the distilling history of Kentucky's Henry County, northeast of Louisville, where Angel's Envy has plans to build warehouses and, eventually, a second distillery.

And we review two beautiful books and one beautiful whiskey. (We're all about the beauty.)

The illustration, by the way, is of the pre-Prohibition Frankfort Distillery at Forks of Elkhorn, about three miles east of Frankfort. That site today looks completely different. It hosts a bottling and distribution facility for Beam Suntory.

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Founded in 1994, The Bourbon Country Reader is the oldest publication devoted entirely to American whiskey. It is a charming mix of news, history, analysis, and product reviews. Do you worry that advertising spending influences coverage in other publications? No chance of that here since The Bourbon Country Reader is 100 percent reader-supported. It accepts no advertising.

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NOTE: Turns out, the picture above is not the pre-pro Frankfort Distillery. It is the Kenner Taylor Distillery built after Prohibition at the same site. The photo below is of the real pre-pro Frankfort.

Denny Potter Leaving Heaven Hill for Maker's Mark

Denny Potter needs a new vest.

Maker's Mark has announced that Denny Potter is departing Heaven Hill to join the Beam Suntory subsidiary as Master Distiller and General Manager. Potter has been Master Distiller at Heaven Hill since joining the company in 2013. He became Vice President of Operations last year.

Before Heaven Hill, Potter worked at Maker's Mark for ten years.

"(We are) happy for Denny," says Heaven Hill spokesperson Josh Hafer. "We will have a transition period before he heads over to Maker’s Mark. But our distilling, warehouse and whiskey innovation teams are exceptional and all remain in place. Many of them with decades of experience. Moving forward, we will look for someone who can maintain the traditions of our previous Master Distillers including a commitment to heritage, quality, authenticity and transparency," said Hafer.

Potter replaces Greg Davis, who has been Master Distiller at Maker's Mark since 2010. Davis has been promoted to Director of Distillation at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, where he will be responsible for that plant as well as the Booker Noe Distillery at Boston, Kentucky.

Also moving to Clermont is Victoria MacRae-Samuels, currently Vice President of Operations and Plant Manager at Maker’s Mark. She is relocating to the Global Innovation Center in Clermont as Senior Director, Global Quality for Beam Suntory.

Jane Bowie has been promoted from Distillery Maturation Specialist at Maker's Mark to Director of the Private Select and Diplomat Program.