Normally we don’t offer up a Reads post on Fridays but with the number of news items in our inbox and on the fax machine, we figured it warranted an additional bonus post for the week. So without further ado…

Marge Samuels of Maker’s Mark will become the fifth woman and the first woman directly connected with a distillery to be inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame September 17th at the Bardstown Country Club. The Co-Founder of Maker’s Mark, her contributions to the development of the brand are enormous. She was responsible for the name, the distinct bottle design, the label (an excellent marriage of old fashioned typography and calligraphy work), the trademark, and most importantly… the iconic red wax. Mrs. Samuels was also a pioneer in designing the distillery visitor center and foresaw the tourism potential long before the competition did. Here’s a very well designed website tells the tale of their bourbon love story, and it’s definitely worth the time to read.

Also in the kudos department, congrats to Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell who celebrated exactly 60 years on the job on Wednesday. In a letter, his son and co-Master Distiller Eddie wrote “his career has taken him to the farthest corners of the world spreading the gospel of Bourbon, and now, at 80 years old, he’s still working hard. In fact, he’s the longest-tenured, active Master Distiller in the world.” A celebration of his tenure was commemorated in an excellent bourbon, and in a documentary.

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is right around the corner. As per usual, this year is full of events that would get even the most diehard of bourbon fans excited for its arrival. On top of everything this year, Bulleit is sponsoring a program offering folks free rides to and from the festival! Those who wish to take advantage of the free rides service during can call 270-765-7297 to schedule a ride during festival hours. We’ll be posting more about individual events next week!

If you still need convincing to get down this way for the festival, author/blogger/ascot authority Fred Minnick provided Conde Nast a very thorough listicle on 10 reasons to celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month. Fred’s still on a roll, touring and promoting his award-winning Whiskey Women book, and will be at the Festival autographing copies. In other book news, Chuck Cowdery has released his long awaited sequel to Bourbon, Straight. Bourbon, Strange is a compendium of short stories detailing the weird and wild history of bourbon. — stuff off the beaten path.

Finally, WDRB is reporting that Angel’s Envy is finishing up its downtown Louisville facility and is planning to expand into two more warehouses in Shivley, just outside the city limits. And finally today, the always reliable Janet Patton gives an update on the fall bourbon onslaught that is now getting underway.

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