The rapidly growing collaborative distilling company Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBCo) has announced the appointment of industry veteran Herb Heneman as Vice President of Brand Sales and Marketing.

Heneman was most recently the General Manager, Southeast Division at Sazerac.

He will now take over responsibility for managing BBCo’s brand portfolio, including the development and execution of its sales, marketing, and distribution strategy; building its sales and marketing team; and helping develop and position the company’s products.

BBCo in early 2019 will introduce several products under a new, cohesive Bardstown Bourbon Company brand.

“Herb Heneman is not your average sales and marketing executive,” says David Mandell, president and CEO,BBCo. “He not only has the expertise to build and manage a complex network of distribution and retail partners, but also the entrepreneurial spirt, drive, creativity, and experience to successfully grow a new whiskey portfolio.”

Heneman comes to BBCo with a 20-year background in alcoholic beverage sales and marketing, distributor relations, brand management, innovation and chain sales. Most recently, he led the largest sales division at Sazerac, including a team of state managers, sales reps, and wholesale network, for brands such as Buffalo Trace, Blanton’s, Stagg, EH Taylor, and Weller.

Prior to joining Sazerac, Heneman was a managing partner in his own agency, worked in marketing with Red Bull, and spent a decade with MillerCoors, in progressive roles, including helping to create the company’s Craft & Import Division, the “Tenth & Blake Beer Company,” and craft brands such as Leinenkugel’s.

“I’m excited to join Bardstown Bourbon Company, which is truly revolutionizing the bourbon category,” says Heneman. “BBCo is creating some of the most exciting, authentic, and innovative brands in the industry, and they come from a place with an incredible story to tell.”

Heneman will relocate to Kentucky with his family and join BBCo’s senior leadership team.

Located on 100 acres of farmland in Bardstown, Kentucky, BBCo is the largest new distillery in the country, and produces Kentucky bourbon, whiskey, and rye brands; offers custom whiskey production for the craft distillers and non-distilling brand owners interested in creating new whiskey products and improving the quality and scale of their current brands; and is a new stop for visitors on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.