women in whiskey
Meet the women shaping the whiskey industry
August 2021
Samara B. Davis
Diversity Distilled
As our Women in Whiskey column continues to celebrate women shaping the future of the whisk(e)y industry, this month we introduce you to Samara B. Davis (née Rivers), Chief Bourbon Enthusiast and Founder of the Black Bourbon Society and Diversity Distilled, dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusivity (“D&I”) in distilled spirits through bourbon education, brand collaboration, and consultation.
From an Entrepreneurial Spirit…
Samara was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. As a child witnessing her father’s successes and failures, she was inspired to continue her family’s entrepreneurial tradition as a fourth-generation business owner. While she knew that she “definitely didn’t want to be an accountant”, Samara’s independent spirit lead her to follow her passion for art across the country at the Fine Arts program at Florida A&M, the only “HBCU” in Florida. (“HBCU” stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African--American community.) She narrowed her scope to Art History and earned her Master’s in Art Administration at Florida State University.
Samara pursued a career in the art museum industry helping to curate exhibits and events designed to allow people to enjoy and understand art. These skills would help create the foundation for for her impact on the whiskey industry. Samara discovered her love for whiskey in her mid--30s with her then--husband while raising two kids. When asked why bourbon, she joked “wine just wasn’t cutting it” and the history, complexity, and reputation as “America’s Spirit” fascinated her. (And even though that relationship didn’t continue, her love for bourbon did.)
While her first whiskey was Four Roses Small Batch, Samara was quick to point out that it was her love for bourbon in general as a communal spirit appropriate for any occasion that lead her down the path to founding the Black Bourbon Society or “BBS”.
…To a Spirited Community
As a professional event producer, Samara happened to be working on an event to be hosted in San Francisco, California and asked herself “Who am I planning this for?” Reviewing the brand’s marketing material, Samara felt that their approach wasn’t welcoming to “POC” (“People of Color”) bourbon drinkers. She tried to find resources to continue her bourbon journey and connect with people, even reaching out to a local women’s group that didn’t return her calls. But none of them resonated with Samara, and navigating social media like Facebook groups only unearthed “keyboard warriors” (people who make abusive or aggressive posts on the internet).
Since Samara couldn’t find her bourbon community, she decided to create her own. But she knew that she couldn’t simply focus on making a space where someone could walk in and feel comfortable because we don’t live in a vacuum. We chatted about how although there has been an evolution of consumer marketing in the spirits industry from those that used to dismiss anyone that didn’t fit the “old school” stereotype of the White, male, and middle--aged bourbon drinker, some brands and campaigns either hadn’t evolved or would actually veer180 degrees in the opposite direction towards a stereotype of the “urban drinker”, i.e. Black, male, young…probably likes anything mentioned in a hip hop video.
The key would be to start the conversation with brands about their D&I marketing strategy, but also understand how it's being incorporated as part of their company culture. She began by joining the trade organization, United States Bartenders’ Guild, for guidance and connections, receiving a positive response, and is now a certified Executive Bourbon Steward. At the time, there were no Black--owned brands; it was great to hear from Samara that when she did reach out to brands, they were open to learning how to align company culture with today’s consumer market that includes 48 million Black-Americans with spending power of $1.3 trillion USD (Source: Nielsen 2019).
Connect, Collaborate, and Elevate
When Samara launched the BBS in 2016, it began as local, in--person events. She started a Facebook group to keep the members connected outside of events and numbered less than 100 members. Maker’s Mark was one of the first major brands to start working with BBS in 2017, and Samara served on the Diversity Council for Tales of the Cocktail, the largest trade conference that has hosted 15,000 to 17,000 attendees annually.
That same year at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival, she met Tracey Napolitano, the festival’s founder. It was through this connection and word--of--mouth about BBS that led Col. Steve Akley, owner of the ABV Network (a Kentucky based media company focused on bourbon content) to reach out to her. In 2018, she launched the “Bonded in Bourbon” podcast offering a dual perspective on the bourbon lifestyle and the industry with Armond Davis, her partner both in business and life. Samara writes a monthly editorial column for the Bourbon Zeppelin Newsletter, and has co--hosted The Bourbon Daily Show. For events, BBS is known for its Brown Derby Weekend in Kentucky, and Bourbon Boulé during Bourbon Heritage Month in New Orleans.
In 2019, their first Maker’s Mark Private Select® program selection beat out over 1,000 whiskies blind tasted to win a double gold for custom--finished bourbon at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Their stave selection included: (2) Baked American Pure 2, (3) French Cuvée, (3) Maker’s 46 and (2) Toasted French Spice, bottled at 110 proof. The barrel had sold out before the award and a second barrel produced in response to demand also sold out. It was the first whiskey from the program to win this award.
In early 2020, Diversity Distilled was launched as a nonprofit consultancy focused on advancing POC in the spirits industry through recruitment, retention, and promotion. Although their plan to host the first Diversity Distilled Conference was one of many events in hospitality delayed, they continued with the initiative in the wake of everything happening, posting an open letter to the Bourbon and American Whiskey Industry as BBS membership climbed to over 17k vs ~5k in early 2019. For Bourbon Month (September, if you didn’t know), they teamed up with Louisville Tourism challenging people to try one new bourbon every day.
Samara Says
For those looking to start on a smaller scale that may be new to bourbon, Samara’s recommendation for new bourbon drinkers including exploring Maker’s Mark, Elijah Craig, Evan William (Bottled-in-Bond), and Four Roses Small Batch. She feels that these core whiskey brands are accessible from a flavor standpoint as well as offering products at different price points.
Personally, Samara is more of a neat drinker, and when asked to name a favorite whiskey cocktail, she replied that it used to be a Paper Plane but recently has returned to enjoying a Whiskey Sour (with the egg white, if you’re wondering).
For a twist on the sour, try the BBS Forbidden Sour.
But it’s the Black Manhattan cocktail (that substitutes vermouth with amaro) that has special BBS meaning; for Black History Month this year, BBS partnered with Michter’s (along with Branca USA) for #TheBlackManhattanProject, an awareness campaign for an equitable spirits industry. And last month, BBS celebrated their 5--year anniversary with a series of events in Louisville that included a bottle signing of their second Maker’s Mark Private Select® blend. Recipe 2 won two first place gold medals -- Best Bourbon and Best American Whiskey at the International Whisky Competition (IWC) and its 93.8 score was the highest of any American whiskey at the competition. This recipe is one of the first to feature the Roasted French Mendiant, Maker’s newest private collection stave. (“Mendiant” translates to “beggar of alms” and named after a Christmastime French confection with four toppings representing the four Roman Catholic monastic orders: hazelnuts (brown--Carmelites), almonds (white--Dominicans), raisins (gray--Franciscans), and dried figs (purple--Augustinians).
As others catch up to Samara and BBS from major brands to organizations such as the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (“DISCUS”) announcing the creation of their Diversity Committee, she doesn’t plan on slowing down and is exploring the idea of bringing her best practices to other premium spirits such as rum and mezcal, as well as collaborating with other industries.
For anyone looking to be an entrepreneur, Samara’s biggest tip is ensuring that first hour of your day is your personal quiet time. She starts hers with meditation and then she’s off either working on events, checking in on her team, or planning for a specific consulting project that may be a large brand or an up--and--coming craft distiller. She is always brainstorming on how they can continue to make strides towards furthering D&I in the industry.
Today, BBS boasts 24,000 members worldwide, which includes American expats and military. While headquartered in Atlanta, they have a presence in cities across America and are continually hosting events. As I write this article, BBS is in the midst of their Open Door collaboration with Jim Beam, a 5 City Tour in Atlanta, Chicago, NYC, Washington DC, and Dallas, with events hosted by Black--owned restaurants and bars.
Each city will host the following activities:
● Highball Happy Hour – Weekend welcome opening social highlighting Black bartenders and their unique spin on a Jim Beam Highball and Jim Beam Black cocktails.
● The Bourbon--Q Paired Tasting – An educational Jim Beam flight tasting paired with traditional family barbecue items; whiskeys include Jim Beam Black, Jim Beam Bottled in Bond, Jim Beam Double Oaked, and Jim Beam Devil’s Cut.
● Rhythm and Beam Brunch – Introducing Jim Beam’s newest expression, Jim Beam Orange, brunch cocktails, and live entertainment.
I was fortunate enough to attend the NYC brunch hosted at Corner Social located on Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem where Samara was hands-on, greeting all the guests at the door. Most of them had attended either the Highball Happy Hour, the curate BBQ Pairing, or both, and told me how the everyone enjoyed the energy, camaraderie, and education their events offer.
We hope you enjoyed meeting Samara and learning about the Black Bourbon Society. (Membership is open to all supportive of their mission.)
Join us next month for Bourbon Heritage Month, as we chat with Maggie Kimberl, President of the Bourbon Women Association!
