Who Owns Maker’s Mark?

Maker’s Mark is a renowned small-batch bourbon whiskey brand located in Loretto, Kentucky founded in 1953 by Bill Sr. and Maggie Samuels. Maker’s Mark bottles its whiskeys to taste rather than age.

In Aug 2023, the brand released its first age-statement bourbon. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged blends 87% 12-year-old whiskey with 13% 11-year-old whiskey. [1]

Maker’s Mark is the world’s largest B Corp-certified bourbon distillery. The brand’s portfolio includes Maker’s Mark 46, Private Selection, Cask Strength, and Cellar Aged. In Nov 2023, the bourbon producer filled its first Certified Regenified Maker’s Mark whisky barrel. Maker’s Mark is the first distillery to receive this certification from Regenified. This historic milestone recognizes the brand’s regenerative agriculture practices in grain production, which restores and revitalizes the soil. [2]

Maker’s Mark uses tried-and-tested marketing strategies to reach its target audience. The brand partners with Keeneland annually to help customers celebrate Maker’s Mark Mile. In Apr 2024, Maker’s Mark launched a new 10-year bottle series with Keeneland.

The series celebrates “Greats of the Gate,” all-time great racehorses. The company changed the schedule from Apr to Oct to coincide with the Keeneland Race Course event, where sports luminaries sign Maker’s Mark bourbon bottles for horseracing fans. [3]

Maker’s Mark understands that its premium handmade bourbons are perfect gifts for celebrations and events. The brand launches seasonal programs, allowing customers and gift-givers to customize bourbon bottles.

In Nov 2023, Maker’s Mark unveiled its Holiday 2023 personalized label. Gift givers customized labels with their loved one’s name. The brand designed its Holiday 2023 label with a pre-written message: “Wishing you a season that’s one of a kind.” But who owns Maker’s Mark? [4]

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Who is Maker’s Mark’s Parent Company?

Maker’s Mark is a handmade Kentucky bourbon brand owned and produced by Suntory Global Spirits, a Suntory Holdings Limited subsidiary. The parent company is a New York-based multinational alcoholic beverage producer, formerly Beam Suntory.

In May 2024, Beam Suntory rebranded to Suntory Global Spirits. The name reflects Suntory’s evolution as a global leader in spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails. [5]

Suntory Global Spirits is the world’s third-largest distilled beverage producer, behind Diageo and Pernod Ricard. The company owns iconic American and Japanese brands, including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Yamazaki, Hibiki, and Hakushu.

It also offers- beer, wine, health and wellness products, and non-alcoholic drinks like Orangina, Lucozade, and Ribena. In 2023, Suntory focused on its premiumization strategy and posted sales growth across its Japanese whisky portfolio, Jim Beam, and Maker’s Mark. [6]

Suntory is expanding its portfolio beyond whiskies and spirits. The parent company acquired the On-The-Rocks (OTR) cocktail brand in 2020 to enter the bottled ready-to-drink (RTD) segment.

In 2023, Suntory’s OTR surpassed 600,000 nine-liter cases. Suntory partners with hospitality and travel companies, like Marriott and Southwest Airlines, to offer OTR’s bottled Margarita to their customers. [7]

Maker’s Mark is one of Suntory’s best-selling brands. The distiller pioneered the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as the first bourbon distillery to open its doors to the public. The brand has maintained its founders’ handmade touchpoints since the 1950s, including hand-dipping each bottle in iconic red wax.

In Jul 2023, Maker’s Mark Bourbon launched its new “Make Your Mark” global campaign. The campaign captures the company’s purpose-driven mindset and values, creating a singular lens for its brand-building efforts worldwide. [8]

Image Credit: Jacob Thomas

Maker’s Mark Ownership History

Maker’s Mark traces its origin to Bill Samuels Sr.’s dissatisfaction with existing bourbons. Bill, a sixth-generation distiller, aspired to distill the perfect bourbon that meets his unique taste. The Samuels family purchased Burks’ Distillery in 1953.

Bill experimented with different flavoring grains to find a unique mash. He abandoned the old recipe and replaced the traditional rye with soft red winter wheat, creating sweeter and more delicate bourbon. This bourbon marked the birth of the Maker’s Mark brand. [9]

One thing that sets Maker’s Mark apart from other bourbons is its distinctive red wax topper. This feature is attributed to co-founder Margie Samuels, a talented artist and businesswoman. She came up with the idea of hand-dipping the necks of Maker’s Mark bottles in red wax. In 1958, Maker’s Mark introduced the first bottle with a red wax seal. The unique red wax topper enhanced visual appeal and helped Maker’s Mark stand out on store shelves. [10]

Bill Sr. created the Maker’s Mark brand and delivered the first premium bourbon to market. Then, he handed over the business to his son, Bill Jr. The brand evolved from a trailblazer to an icon in the bourbon world within three decades.

In Dec 1980, the company’s Loretto distillery was recognized as a National Historic Landmark to preserve its rich history. It was America’s first distillery to receive the title while in active production. [11]

Maker’s Mark ownership changed hands in 1981 when it was sold to Hiram Walker & Sons. However, the Samuels family continued to manage the business. Allied Domecq acquired Hiram Walker & Sons in 1987, becoming Maker’s Mark’s parent company.

Pernod Ricard bought Allied-Domecq eighteen years later and sold Maker’s Mark to Fortune Brands.

Maker’s Mark was part of Fortune until 2011 when the parent company split its divisions into standalone businesses. This split-up created Beam Inc., with Maker’s Mark as its wholly-owned subsidiary.

In 2011, Bill Jr. left the company for his son, Rob Samuels, to manage. Maker’s Mark ownership changed hands again in 2014, when Suntory Holdings acquired Beam Inc. Suntory rebranded Beam Inc. to Beam Suntory in 2015 and Suntory Global Spirits in May 2024. [12]

Image Credit: Zhivko Minkov

Maker’s Mark’s Shareholder Structure

Maker’s Mark is a Suntory brand operated by Suntory Global Spirits. The parent company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited, a Japanese beverage giant. Suntory has a hybrid private and public structure, with listed and unlisted business units.

In 2023, unlisted Suntory Holdings owned nearly 60% stake in publicly traded Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd. This hybrid ownership extends Maker’s Mark ownership to Suntory Beverage & Food. [13]

Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd is a public company trading as STBFY. As of Dec 2023, Suntory Beverage had 309,000,000 Stock A shares with zero votes. This figure includes 124,538,652 free-float shares held by institutions and the general public. [14]

Suntory Beverage’s shareholder structure has the parent company, institutions, and individual investors from the general public. As of Mar 2024, Suntory Holdings was STBFY’s largest shareholder, with 59.68%. This stake represents 183.8 million shares.

Caisse de Depot is the second-largest shareholder with 2.59%, followed by Capital Research Global at 1.73%, JPMorgan Securities at 1.53%, Nomura Asset Management at 1.45%, Blackrock Institutional Trust at 1.35%, and Vanguard Group at 1.17%. [15]

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