Black Bourbon Enthusiasts Find Community in the Black Bourbon Society
Samara Davis is Creating Change in the Spirit Space
Black bourbon enthusiasts are claiming their space and bringing their own chairs to the table. As a whiskey lover myself I have to tell you, if you aren’t familiar with the Black Bourbon Society you should be. The Black Bourbon Society, or BBS, fills a gap where there is a lack of engagement with bourbon consumers of color.
Samara Davis started out running her own event planning company. As she gradually began adding bourbon to her wine rotation, she became more and more intrigued about the nuances of bourbon. After many collaborations in the event space Samara recognized that many brands were missing out on a key demographic. Those in the Black community who are well established in their careers, and many with disposable income, are not always considered in the spirit space. I have to say that I have noticed the image in an ad of a person pouring a neat glass of whiskey often does not look like me, though I am whiskey fan, and I prefer a neat pour. This is not exclusive to the spirits industry, the lack of diverse decision makers has been an ongoing conversation.
Inspired by the refreshing taste of summer and the welcoming cool of watermelon. Cheers!
As an industry consumer and facilitator, Samara started BBS, hosting educational excursions, building brand partnerships, and curating events centered around bourbon. The foundation of BBS is supported by a Facebook group of over 23k members, myself and my husband are two of those members.
The key to connecting with BBS members in a meaningful way is to actively engage the community. One of the largest events for the BBS members is the annual Bourbon Boule, BBS holds in-person and virtual events throughout the year. The most recent event, the Open Door Tour, is a partnership between BBS and Jim Beam to visit five cities across the country, highlighting Black owned bars and restaurants. This celebration of “Black excellence through culture, cocktails and cuisine” has been highly successful, as evidenced by all of the sold out event dates.
This year BBS is celebrating a 5 year anniversary and will continue to celebrate for the entire year. A part of that celebration is the creation of a Private Selection with Maker’s Mark. Though this anniversary pick marks a special occasion, it is not the first bottle with the BBS touch. The first BBS Maker’s Mark Private Select bottle won Double Gold Custom-Finished Bourbon at the 19th Annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Samara has built a relationship with the brand over the years and collaborated on several events. That relationship is what brought about the opportunities for BBS to create Private Selections.
“Pursue your purpose confidently. Don’t be afraid to go after it.”
Samara Davis
With the success and impact of BBS, Samara and her husband Armond Davis founded Diversity Distilled. They noticed an obvious need for more diversity and inclusion in the spirit space and committed to focus on supporting the increase of diverse talent in leadership. Diversity Distilled is a bottom-up and top-down approach to “advise, advocate and craft unique strategies to address the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of brands — with a focus on the world of distilled spirits, packaged beverages and the alcohol and service industries.”
According to Neilsen Black Americans spend over 1 trillion dollars a year. Being a part of a neglected target market, I can attest that many Black Americans like nice things, can afford nice things, and buy nice things. Though we cannot buy things we do not know exist. The Black community are not only consumers, but also influencers. Brands must recognize the smart move, the best, and the only move for growth is to include those customers who have traditionally been ignored in marketing plans going forward. In 2019, Adobe conducted a research report of more than 2,000 consumers. Their results showed that 66% of African-Americans feel their ethnicity is portrayed stereotypically in advertisements. With groups like BBS I am hopeful that brands and the Black community will continue to form bonds, build relationships, and create authentic content that speaks to the community.
Celebrate 30 days of Bourbon in September with BBS. If you’re a bourbon or whiskey enthusiast join the Facebook group, and with the premium membership you receive a wide variety of perks, including first notice about the next BBS Private Selection. BBS has ambassadors across the country. The Black Bourbon Society has let the world in on the not so secret secret that the Black community appreciates fine whiskeys and bourbons just like everyone else. Be a part of building the community and changing the narrative.
Discover more from Flights and Foods
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
5,048 Comments
pestoto
I’ve been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I by no means discovered any fascinating article like yours. It¦s beautiful worth sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made just right content as you did, the internet might be a lot more helpful than ever before.
videotron
What¦s Taking place i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve discovered It positively useful and it has aided me out loads. I’m hoping to give a contribution & help other customers like its helped me. Good job.
Pink Salt Trick
Wohh exactly what I was searching for, appreciate it for putting up.
Lipo Vive Review
After all, what a great site and informative posts, I will upload inbound link – bookmark this web site? Regards, Reader.
suplier pipa seamless
Along with the whole thing which seems to be building inside this particular area, a significant percentage of opinions happen to be quite exciting. However, I beg your pardon, because I can not subscribe to your whole idea, all be it stimulating none the less. It looks to us that your commentary are actually not completely validated and in fact you are generally yourself not even entirely confident of the point. In any event I did take pleasure in examining it.
pipa seamless
Today, while I was at work, my sister stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a thirty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views. I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!
sewu88slot
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Very helpful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.
Lipovive
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
sewu88slot
I have recently started a site, the info you provide on this web site has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work. “So full of artless jealousy is guilt, It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.” by William Shakespeare.
Curso de ingles online
I am really enjoying the theme/design of your web site. Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility problems? A number of my blog audience have complained about my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Firefox. Do you have any solutions to help fix this issue?
Audizen
Can I just say what a relief to find someone who actually knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More people need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cant believe youre not more popular because you definitely have the gift.
berita terkini
I am glad to be a visitor of this arrant web blog! , regards for this rare information! .
Audizen
I got what you intend, regards for putting up.Woh I am pleased to find this website through google.
giao dịch cfd
Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem with your website in internet explorer, would test this… IE still is the market leader and a good portion of people will miss your fantastic writing because of this problem.
basket168 daftar
Good post and straight to the point. I am not sure if this is truly the best place to ask but do you guys have any thoughts on where to employ some professional writers? Thanks 🙂
fortune gem
I truly enjoy looking through on this site, it has excellent content. “The living is a species of the dead and not a very attractive one.” by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche.
cabe88.net
Some really nice and utilitarian info on this site, as well I believe the style holds great features.
cabe88 slot
Hi, i believe that i noticed you visited my blog so i came to “go back the favor”.I’m trying to find things to improve my website!I suppose its good enough to make use of some of your ideas!!
shio toto 2025
My brother recommended I would possibly like this web site. He used to be entirely right. This post actually made my day. You can not consider simply how so much time I had spent for this information! Thank you!
원신 충전 사이트
As I website owner I believe the content here is real excellent, thanks for your efforts.