Mark Carter

“The Alchemy of Reinvention”

Long before Old Carter Whiskey Company earned its cult following, Mark Carter was already shaping a legacy, not in whiskey, but in wine. Born in Eureka, California, Carter grew up steeped in the spirit of hospitality. He and his wife Sherri eventually operated boutique inns; most notably Carter House Inns, where Mark also served as a wine buyer. Frustrated by relying on others’ wines, in 1998 he launched his own label, Carter Cellars, later partnering with Nils Venge to form Envy Wines. This Napa‑based endeavor earned him top honors, including multiple 100‑point scores from critics.

By the early 2010s, Mark’s career took an unexpected turn. During his travels as head of an innkeeper’s association, he met Chuck Dedman of Kentucky’s Beaumont Inn. Chuck’s tales of the long‑dormant Kentucky Owl bourbon brand inspired Mark. When Chuck’s son, Dixon, succeeded him and invited Mark to revive the brand, Carter agreed. Thus, in 2012, Kentucky Owl was reborn, blending aged barrels with double‑oak aging techniques; it became a sensation before being sold to the Stoli Group in 2017.

Barely stopping to celebrate, Mark and Sherri launched their next venture immediately: Old Carter Whiskey Company. Founded in 2017, the brand focuses on ultra‑small‑batch bourbons, straight ryes, and American whiskeys, all bottled at full barrel strength without chill‑filtering. Old Carter is headquartered on historic Whiskey Row in Louisville. The Carters source high‑quality barrels from across Kentucky, blending and bottling them themselves, with their model usually including some of Old Carter’s own distillate. Each release is hand‑blended by the Carters (who personally select barrels and write out the content’s characteristics on each individual label), a labor‑intensive process that reflects their passion for craftsmanship. The aforementioned label, designed by Sherri Carter herself, is arguably, but widely regarded as, the most attractive currently affixed to any whiskey bottle.

In keeping with the super-premium theme, Old Carter offers a superior customer experience, including access to the waiting list for paid membership to the Old Carter Club which, amongst other perks, offers admittance to the posh Club Lounge, shown.

Their strategy was deliberately super‑premium: batches rarely exceed a few thousand bottles, with price points above $400 per bottle at a minimum, with some 14-year-olds listed online for as much as $8995. Even as such, it is legitimately difficult to find a posted photograph of more than one or two bottles together before both are swiftly sold.

Behind the brand’s rise, however, lay personal complexities. By late 2024, though their commitment to quality kept them working together, Sherri and Mark were in divorce proceedings. As part of a court‑mediated settlement, Old Carter Whiskey Co. and its associated real estate and inventory were to be auctioned. In December 2024, Mark led a bidding group that successfully reacquired the company, including the distillery, tasting rooms, licenses, and roughly 1,300 barrels of whiskey aging between four and twenty‑five years. The deal was for approximately $18.65 million, rising to $20.5 million with premiums. The contract was closed in March 2025, when Tranzon Asset Advisors formally announced that Mark, along with partners including Bill Thomas, Jared Hyman, and the Wright family, had reclaimed the business. He retained around 50 percent ownership and expressed his intention to continue building Old Carter into a national luxury brand, re-emphasizing integrity and quality above all else. It is clear that Mark’s group now aims to scale Old Carter from cult status into a national presence while preserving its artisanal roots.

Mark Carter is a vintner turned whiskey artisan who, with his wife, founded a luxury brand built on small‑batch excellence. Though that original partnership has ended, his successful reacquisition of the brand in 2025 affirms his dedication. The company now stands poised to expand without sacrificing the ritual, care, and personality that made it legendary among whiskey lovers.

Sources:

  1. leoweekly.com, “Napa Wine Maker to Make Bourbon”, Robin Garr, July 16, 2022

  2. skurnik.com, “Old Carer Whiskey Company”

  3. Bourbon Pursuit Podcast #422, August 10, 2023

  4. Tranzon Asset Advisors, March 4, 2025

  5. tasteselectrepeat.com, Benjamin Smith, October 24, 2024

Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview, Tennessee