Jane Bowie

“A Bourbon Architect”

When Jane Bowie walked into Maker’s Mark as a recent Transylvania University graduate, she likely didn’t foresee becoming one of bourbon’s most respected innovators. A Monticello, Kentucky native, Jane began her professional journey by first teaching English in Japan before fate intervened when her mother pointed out a job ad from Maker’s Mark, and Jane very reluctantly applied. That serendipitous moment marked the start of a remarkable, sixteen-year odyssey at one of bourbon’s most storied distilleries, which set Jane squarely on the bourbon-fueled road to whiskey renown.

During her tenure at Maker’s Mark, Bowie, now 44, steadily rose through the brand and innovation ranks, driven by an insatiable curiosity and a particularly deft palate. She immersed herself in experimentation: adjusting mashbill ratios, exploring fermentation nuances, and refining finishing techniques. Her work was tactile; as much about smell and taste as spreadsheets or forecasts. She wasn’t just crunching numbers; she was coaxing flavor out of barrels, listening to the slow alchemy of oak, rye grain, and yeast over time. That commitment to craft carried her to a leadership role as head of blending and innovation. Disciplined and daring, Jane knew that barrel outcomes often unfolded over years, requiring patience and restraint, yet she was also bold enough to take creative risks, to push boundaries within the conservative Maker’s Mark universe. That balance of reverence and innovation became her creative signature.

In August 2022, after more than a decade and a half building Maker’s Mark’s creative identity from the inside, Bowie and long-time collaborator and Maker’s Mark co-worker Denny Potter took an audacious step: they left their jobs to forge a distillery that would bear their collective fingerprint. Their new venture, Potter Jane Distilling Company, is a testament to the friends’ long-term partnership: informal, balanced, and unpretentious.

Their vision for Potter Jane was commanding in its simplicity and scope. On 153 idyllic acres in Springfield, Kentucky, they secured a site for a 36,000-square-foot distillery, a space designed to foster creativity while allowing for long aging and ample experimentation. Rather than rush to bottle, they built architecture and infrastructure primed for “slow whiskey,” blending technique with space. They raised substantial investment and hosted a field-style groundbreaking party, signaling an enterprise rooted both in community and craftsmanship. As Potter Jane’s whiskey matures, Jane and Denny haven’t stepped back; they’ve stayed intensely hands-on. Through collaborations and curated single-barrel partnerships, they continue to shape public output even before their own distillate is ready. Early projects, like a celebrated partnership release with Frank August, showcase Bowie’s blending acumen and her commitment to quality, making clear that this venture is more than a commercial brand; it’s an expression of taste and intention.