Hiring Senior Bourbon Sales Specialist in Louisville

Larrikin Bourbon Co. is a veteran-owned, veteran-distilled craft distillery rooted in Louisville’s iconic bourbon scene, founded by service members who set out to create small-batch bourbon that rejects the stuffy, pretentious norms of the traditional spirits industry. Our core lineup of bold, approachable bourbons has earned a loyal following across the Midwest and Southeast, and we’re scaling our distribution footprint to 12 new states over the next three years. To support that growth, we’re hiring a Senior Bourbon Sales Specialist to lead revenue generation, expand our trade partner network, and share our brand’s authentic story with bourbon lovers, bar operators, and retail buyers across our assigned territory.

In this role, you won’t be stuck cold-calling leads from a cubicle: you’ll split your time between on-site client visits, in-person tastings at our Louisville distillery, trade event appearances, and administrative work to track sales performance and plan outreach. Your core responsibilities will include:
1. Driving 15% year-over-year revenue growth for the Louisville metro and assigned regional territory by securing 20+ new on-premise (bars, restaurants, hotels) and off-premise (liquor stores, grocery chains) accounts annually, while increasing share of wallet with existing clients by 20% within your first 12 months.
2. Hosting 8-12 in-person bourbon tastings, product education sessions, and brand storytelling events per week for trade partners, highlighting our small-batch distillation process, flavor profile differences across our core and limited-edition releases, and our veteran-led brand heritage to drive product placement and promotional support.
3. Managing end-to-end sales cycles for accounts ranging from independent craft cocktail bars to regional restaurant groups, including lead qualification, custom proposal development, contract negotiation, and post-sale onboarding to ensure consistent product availability and promotional compliance.
4. Collaborating with the marketing and distribution teams to plan and execute 4 seasonal trade promotional campaigns per year, including limited-edition product launches, festival sponsorships, and holiday gift set offerings, tracking campaign ROI to optimize future marketing and sales spend.
5. Monitoring inventory levels, sales trends, and competitor activity across your territory using Salesforce CRM and Nielsen retail data, providing weekly feedback to the leadership team to adjust pricing, distribution, and marketing strategies as needed.
6. Resolving client order, delivery, or product quality issues within 24 hours of receipt, coordinating with our distillery operations and logistics teams to maintain 95%+ client satisfaction scores across all active accounts.
7. Attending 6-8 industry trade shows, bourbon festivals, and networking events per year to build brand awareness, generate new leads, and maintain competitive market intelligence on emerging bourbon trends and competitor product releases.

Our team culture is built on authenticity, results, and a refusal to take ourselves too seriously. We don’t care how many hours you spend at your desk as long as you hit your targets and treat our clients and teammates with respect. You’ll get weekly team bourbon tastings (for professional development, of course), a casual dress code, and a leadership team that prioritizes work-life balance over after-hours emails for non-emergencies. We’re a tight-knit group of veterans, hospitality industry veterans, and bourbon nerds who value good stories, hard work, and a well-made old fashioned over corporate buzzwords.

To qualify for this role, you need at least 3 years of experience selling alcoholic beverages, preferably bourbon or other craft spirits, with a proven track record of hitting or exceeding B2B sales targets. You should have working knowledge of Kentucky bourbon production regulations, state alcohol distribution laws, and current consumer trends in the craft spirits space, plus the ability to tell our brand’s story in a way that resonates with both trade buyers and end consumers. A valid Kentucky alcohol sales license is required within 30 days of hire, and a valid driver’s license with a clean driving record is mandatory for regular client visits across your territory.

You’ll use a range of industry-standard tools in this role, including Salesforce CRM for client tracking and sales pipeline management, Nielsen retail analytics platforms for market trend analysis, POS systems including Square and Toast for order processing, Microsoft Office Suite for reporting and proposal development, and Kentucky ABC regulatory compliance tools for sales and distribution tracking.

We offer a competitive total compensation package designed to reward strong performance: a base salary of $55,000–$65,000 per year, plus an uncapped commission structure that pays out 5-8% of all net sales you generate, with top performers earning an additional $20,000+ in annual commission. Benefits include full medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, a 401(k) plan with 4% company match, 15 days of paid time off plus 10 paid company holidays, and a $200 monthly stipend for client entertainment and bourbon education courses. You’ll also receive a company vehicle for client visits, free access to all Larrikin Bourbon product releases, and exclusive invites to member-only bourbon tasting events.

As we expand our distribution footprint, top performers in this role will have clear paths for career growth: opportunities to move into regional sales management roles, lead new market expansion teams, or transition into brand marketing and product development positions. We also offer an annual $2,000 professional development stipend for industry conferences, sales training courses, and bourbon certification programs (including the Bourbon Steward certification through the Kentucky Distillers Association).

Our hiring process is straightforward and designed to respect your time: first, a 30-minute initial phone screen with our Head of Sales to discuss your experience and fit with our team culture. Next, a 1-hour in-person interview at our Louisville distillery, including a brief product knowledge test and a role-play exercise simulating a client sales meeting. Finally, a reference check and offer extension within 5 business days of the second interview. We’re targeting to fill this role by October 15, 2024, with a preferred start date of November 1, 2024. To apply, send your resume and a brief 2-3 sentence note explaining why you’d be a good fit for Larrikin to [email protected] with the subject line “Bourbon Sales Specialist Application – [Your Full Name]”. No generic cover letters required—just tell us your favorite bourbon and a time you closed a particularly tough sale.