Takeaways from the Maker’s Mark Bourbon House Flap

By Richard Thomas

The Holidays are usually a quiet time for news, with most stories focusing on human interest stories, last minute shopping, post-Christmas deals, and New Year’s Eve events. This year had some real news, mostly stemming from the so-called “Fiscal Cliff” negotiations in the United States, but whiskey lovers had a little something extra all their own: a scandal in the form of Maker’s Mark Bourbon House of Louisville being labeled “the most racist restaurant in America.”

The incident involving Andre Mulligan and friends being turned away from the Maker’s Mark restaurant and lounge on account of the color of their skin has generated substantial attention, with plenty of wild accusations, speculation, and racist trolling to go around. Here’s what I took away from the incident:

1. Alternet Overblew It: Probably the most attention-getting piece of coverage of the incident was “The Most Racist Restaurant in America,” posted on the left-wing web magazine Alternet. The article was spot on until the author, Laura Gottesdiener, called for the “rest of the country [to] boycott Maker’s Mark until it withdraws its name support from this racist restaurant.” Given that Gottesdiener clearly understood that Maker’s Mark had merely licensed its name out to other parties and had no direct control over the restaurant, calling for a boycott of the distillery before they had even had a chance to respond to the scandal was gross overkill. As far as anyone knows, Maker’s Mark licensing contract might require it wait for years before it can even consider jerking it’s brand name away from the Bourbon House. While the Alternet article got its facts straight, it’s opinions are at times downright hysterical, and it’s headline pure scandal-mongering.

Furthermore, Gottesdiener suggested that readers switch from Maker’s Mark to Jack Daniel’s, saying the Tennessee whiskey was “a decent, although slightly harsher, substitute.” A statement like that makes me believe Gottesdiener isn’t particularly familiar with either whiskey, since Jack Daniel’s isn’t noticeably harsher and there are literally a dozen bourbons you could reach for before going south to Tennessee whiskey. Writers who don’t know whiskey should steer clear from offering advice on the subject.

2. Andre Mulligan is a Litigious Guy: It has come out in some news coverage that Mulligan is quick to go to court. He has sued over alleged incidents involving police brutality and disability compensation in the past. Even so…

3. Maker’s Mark Bourbon House has a Racist Record: The former director of marketing and promotions for the restaurant and lounge sued it in 2009, alleging she was instructed to “keep out the darker element.” Furthermore, Maker’s Mark Bourbon House is part of the larger 4th Street Live development, run by Cordish Operating Enterprises (one of the parties named in Mulligan’s lawsuit), and that development has also landed in hot water over allegations of racism. That track record buttresses Mulligan’s credibility, while making Cordish’s claims of innocence over the matter ring a little hollow.

4. Maker’s Mark is Getting an Undeserved Black Eye: Most people who are aware of this story aren’t going to understand or remember the distinction between Maker’s Mark the bourbon distillery on the one hand, and the businesses running the offending restaurant on the other. Alternet calling for a national boycott of Maker’s Mark in retaliation certainly doesn’t help.

So what to do about this ugly den of racism in the heart of Louisville’s downtown?

• Gottesdiener got it partly right in calling on Louisville residents to boycott the Maker’s Mark Bourbon House. Louisville residents who feel outraged and disgusted by this sort of blatant racial discrimination should actually boycott the entire 4th Street Live development, since the whole thing has been tarnished by charges of racism and is run by one of the defendants named in Mulligan’s lawsuit, Cordish Operating Enterprises.
• Write to Maker’s Mark, encouraging them to reconsider their licensing agreement in the wake of their licensee engaging in blatant and systematic discrimination. Don’t boycott them.
• Also write to the people who maintain the Urban Bourbon Trail, a list of bourbon bars and related sights in Louisville, and the Kentucky Distillers Association to demand that Maker’s Mark Bourbon House be taken off the list.