Bill Samuels, Sr. re-entered the distilling business after leaving T.W. Samuels Distillery Co. in 1943. He purchased the former Burks Spring plant on Star Hill Farm and named it, Maker’s Mark Distillery. It is believed he changed his name from Taylor William Samuels II to Bill Samuels, Sr., to distance himself from his family’s distillery. Elmo Beam, son of Joseph L. Beam, served as the distillery’s first master distiller.
