About

Rob Samuels, an eighth-generation whisky maker and managing director of Maker’s Mark, has led the iconic Kentucky bourbon brand since 2010. Following his father and Chairman Emeritus, Bill Samuels, Jr., Rob continues to advance the company’s mission to craft bourbon that betters the world, while shaping the industry’s future through regenerative agriculture.

Rob has led the global expansion of Maker’s Mark in ways some may consider perfectly unreasonable – going to remarkable lengths to create uncompromisingly delicious bourbon and growing the brand among a new generation of whisky enthusiasts across key international markets including France, Germany, Korea, Japan, and China, while staying true to the founders’ vision. He has introduced double-gold award winning expressions to the portfolio, including Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and Maker’s Mark Cellar-Aged, as well as Maker’s Mark Private Selection, the brand’s custom barrel program.

Rob’s commitment to sustainability has transformed Maker’s Mark into an industry leader. In the last 24 months, the distillery achieved B Corp certification and became the world’s first to receive Regenified Tier 2 certification. Today, Star Hill Farm, home to the distillery, operates as a zero-waste facility and features cutting-edge grain research, the world’s largest white oak tree repository, and LEED-certified buildings. Maker’s Mark filled its first Certified Regenified barrel of whisky in November 2023, and as a proud partner of Common Ground (2025), sequel to the successful Kiss the Ground (2020) which inspired the USDA to invest $20 billion in soil health, Maker’s Mark has pledged that 100% of its grain will come from Certified Regenified farms by the end of 2025.

These achievements have earned notable recognition: In 2024, Maker’s Mark was awarded Fast Company’s Best Workplace for Innovators in Sustainability and became the first brand ever to receive the Henry Ford Carver-Carson Society Award for significant impacts in agriculture and the environment, second only to the legendary Alice Waters. 

An unwavering commitment to quality, culture and a higher purpose extends to Star Hill Farm, which continues to honor Margie’s legacy as an immersive, culturally rich experience, an endearing and sustainable homeplace for the brand. Considered by many as the birthplace of bourbon tourism, Rob has grown the distillery grounds to feature stunning contemporary art, including the first permanent Dale Chihuly installation in Kentucky; to celebrate cocktail and culinary innovation inspired its farm; and to study and protect the American White Oak species used to make the barrels in which bourbon is aged.

That higher purpose extends to the brand’s commitment to community, raising millions for nonprofit organizations that support the arts, sustainability, and service industry workers. Outside of his leadership at Maker’s Mark, Rob’s philanthropic work includes community engagement and fundraising efforts for the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), Kentucky Harvest, Arts Center of the Bluegrass, Blue Grass Farms Charities, The Healing Place, The Kentucky Derby Museum, University of Louisville Academic Center of Excellence, and University of Kentucky Center for Academic and Tutorial Services. He has served on the board of directors for The Kentucky Distillers Association, the fourth generation of the Samuels family to hold this role. 

Rob has been a keynote speaker at Axios House during the UNGA Climate Week. He holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and is an alumnus of both the University of Chicago Booth School of Business (CEI) and Harvard Business School (GMP).