Hiring Bourbon Regional Sales Manager in Louisville

Larrikin Bourbon Co. is a veteran-owned, veteran-distilled craft distillery rooted in Louisville, Kentucky, the global epicenter of bourbon production. Unlike mass-market spirits brands that prioritize scale over character, we focus on small-batch, bold, unapologetic bourbon expressions that honor centuries-old distilling traditions while pushing flavor boundaries. Founded by U.S. military veterans who brought their discipline, attention to detail, and commitment to community to the spirits industry, we have built a loyal, national following of bourbon enthusiasts, independent bar programs, and retail partners over our 7 years of operation. Our 22-person team is made up of people who care deeply about the quality of our product and the authenticity of our customer relationships, and we reject the stuffy, bureaucratic culture that plagues many large spirits corporations.

We are hiring an experienced Bourbon Regional Sales Manager to join our commercial team based in Louisville, KY, to lead sales growth across our 5-state core territory (Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri). This is not a generic sales role: you will serve as the primary brand representative to bar owners, restaurant groups, independent liquor store operators, and regional distributor partners, with a mandate to grow territory revenue by 25% over 18 months while building long-term, trust-based relationships with key accounts. If you can distinguish between a high-rye and wheated bourbon, command a room at industry tasting events, and are comfortable with regular travel to meet with partners, this role is built for you.

Your core responsibilities will include:
1. Own end-to-end sales performance for your assigned territory, managing a portfolio of 120+ existing on-premise (bar, restaurant) and off-premise (liquor store, retail) accounts, plus 3 regional distributor partnerships, with a target to increase territory revenue by 25% year-over-year while maintaining a 92%+ account retention rate.
2. Conduct weekly in-person visits to your top 20 priority accounts, including product tastings, menu placement negotiations, and seasonal promotional planning, to drive 15% growth in on-premise bourbon sales within your first 12 months.
3. Develop and execute 4 quarterly trade marketing campaigns per year, including limited-edition product launches, bourbon pairing dinners, and staff training sessions for bartenders and retail associates, to boost brand awareness and product trial among end consumers.
4. Collaborate closely with the distillery production and marketing teams to provide frontline feedback on customer preferences, new product ideas, and promotional performance, feeding actionable insights into product development cycles to ensure our releases align with market demand.
5. Manage all distributor relationships for your territory, including negotiating annual volume targets, resolving supply chain or order issues within 24 business hours, and ensuring our products are prioritized in distributor sales portfolios.
6. Track all sales activity, account interactions, and pipeline progress in our Salesforce CRM system, submitting weekly performance reports to the commercial leadership team with actionable insights on underperforming accounts and untapped growth opportunities.
7. Represent Larrikin Bourbon Co. at 8–10 industry events per year, including major spirits festivals, distributor trade shows, and local bourbon events, to generate 30+ new qualified leads per quarter for your territory.
8. Ensure full compliance with all state and federal spirits sales and marketing regulations, including TTB guidelines, in all sales and promotional activities, maintaining a 100% compliance record for all territory operations.

Our work environment is built for people who love bourbon and value autonomy. You will be based out of our open-concept office and sales lounge at our distillery campus in Louisville’s Butchertown neighborhood, with access to complimentary monthly employee product allocations, regular team tasting sessions, and quarterly team outings to local bourbon events and partner distilleries. We prioritize work-life balance for our team: we offer flexible start times during non-event weeks, and we never expect our sales team to answer work calls or emails after 7pm local time unless there is an active, pre-scheduled client event or emergency. Our leadership team is fully transparent: we hold monthly all-hands meetings where every team member can ask questions, share feedback, and weigh in on company decisions, and we have a formal 6-month mentorship program for new hires, where you will be paired with a senior member of the commercial team to learn our product line, customer base, and sales processes.

To qualify for this role, you must have at least 3 years of full-time B2B sales experience in the alcoholic beverage industry, with a proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets in a brand or distributor sales role. You must have deep, working knowledge of the bourbon category, including familiarity with major and craft bourbon brands, flavor profiles, and current consumer trends. You need to be comfortable with regular travel within your territory (approximately 40% of your time, up to 3 days per week) and hold a valid driver’s license and clean driving record. All candidates must be able to pass a standard background check, as required for all roles in the alcoholic beverage industry. We strongly prefer candidates with existing relationships with bar, restaurant, or retail partners in the Southeast and Midwest, as well as experience working with Kentucky-based distributors. While a bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, or a related field is preferred, we will consider candidates with equivalent hands-on sales experience in the spirits industry.

You will use a range of industry-standard tools in this role, including Salesforce CRM for sales tracking and pipeline management, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel for sales forecasting, PowerPoint for client presentations), POS data analysis tools (Revel and Toast for on-premise account performance tracking), Hootsuite for social media promotion support, and TTB compliance tracking software for regulatory reporting.

We offer a highly competitive compensation and benefits package. The base salary for this role ranges from $58,000 to $72,000 per year, depending on experience, plus an uncapped commission structure that pays out 5% of all net territory revenue you generate, with quarterly payouts. Our top-performing sales managers earned over $110,000 in total compensation in 2023. Benefits include full medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, with 90% of premium costs covered by the company. You will receive 15 days of paid time off in your first year, plus 10 paid company holidays, and a $1,000 annual professional development stipend that you can use for industry conferences, sales training, or bourbon education courses. We also provide a $450 monthly vehicle allowance to cover travel costs, plus a company credit card for client entertainment and event expenses. All employees receive a monthly allocation of complimentary Larrikin Bourbon products, plus a 30% discount on all additional distillery products and merchandise.

This role offers a clear path to senior commercial leadership within the company. Our current Head of Sales started in a similar regional sales role 4 years ago, and we prioritize internal promotion for all leadership openings. Over your first 2 years in the role, you will have the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities, including managing junior sales staff, leading new market expansion initiatives, or overseeing national distributor relationships, based on your performance and career goals. We also offer tuition reimbursement for relevant continuing education courses, including advanced sales training, spirits certification programs, and business management classes, to help you build the skills you need to advance your career.

To apply, submit your resume and a brief 1-paragraph overview of your relevant sales experience and interest in the Larrikin Bourbon Co. brand to [email protected] by October 15, 2024. We will review all applications on a rolling basis, and will reach out to selected candidates for a 30-minute initial phone screening within 5 business days of receiving your application. Candidates who pass the initial screening will be invited to a 1-hour in-person interview at our Louisville distillery campus, where you will meet with the Head of Sales and the Operations Director, participate in a short sales scenario exercise, and tour our production facility. Final round candidates will be asked to prepare a 10-minute presentation outlining your 90-day plan for growing sales in our core territory, to present to the commercial leadership team. We expect to make a final hiring decision by November 1, 2024, with a target start date of November 15, 2024. If you have questions about the role or the application process, feel free to reach out to our People Operations team at the email address above.