Bill Samuels Jr., president of Maker’s Mark Bourbon Whisky, will present a case study on creating a new product for one of Kentucky’s landmark industries in a presentation at Western Kentucky University’s Grise Hall Auditorium on April 26 at 10:20 a.m.

The event is free and open to the public.

Samuels is the seventh generation in a long line of bourbon makers—and his bourbon is Maker’s Mark. Samuels took over the family business from his father, Bill Samuels Sr., the man who invented the Maker’s Mark recipe and the premium bourbon category. Samuels Jr. uses his father’s innovative recipe, which uses wheat instead of rye, and continues the tradition of small, closely supervised production to make sure there is a part of himself and his family in every bottle.

While the younger Samuels knew the bourbon business well, he only expected to work for his father for a year. Thirteen years later he was still with the company, which still struggled, but never compromised its integrity. Then it happened. In 1980, The Wall Street Journal ran a front page article about the Maker’s Mark Distillery, and the phone rang off the hook.

Maker’s Mark became known for its irreverent ads, personally written by Samuels Jr., and its smooth, soft taste. Soon after, Samuels Sr., having imparted a good deal of patience for the business on to his son, he passed him the mantle of Maker’s Mark.

The business of bourbon production is usually very serious, but Samuels Jr. gained a reputation for not taking himself or his marketing practices very serious.

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