State Manager

State Manager, Kentucky

Summary

Spirits Investment Partners (SIP) is a commercial management company specializing in building and scaling beverage alcohol brands across the U.S. market. SIP provides end-to-end commercial services covering sales strategy, distributor management, field execution, and brand development for a portfolio that includes Heaven’s Door Whiskey and Rare Hare. We are a lean, entrepreneurial team that moves fast, works smart, and delivers outsized results for our brand partners.

Heaven’s Door’s presence in Kentucky is anchored by two places. The Last Refuge, in Louisville’s NuLu district, is an 1870s church reborn as a high church of bourbon, holding one of the largest collections of American whiskey in the world and a place on the Urban Bourbon Trail. It is also our most important retail account in the country. The Distillery at Pleasureville sits on 160 acres along Six Mile Creek, part working distillery and part living history.

The State Manager is SIP’s sales, marketing, and events lead in Kentucky, and the role covers three core areas: managing the Kentucky market with our distributor and the trade, building the brand’s presence at the events and tastings that matter to Kentucky bourbon drinkers, and serving as key account manager for The Last Refuge. The depletion plan and the distributor relationship are managed together with the Area Director.

This is a single-state, individual contributor role covering the SIP portfolio. You will spend at least four days a week in the market across trade calls, distributor work-withs, events, and The Last Refuge, including regular nights and weekends.

Key Responsibilities

Kentucky Market Management

• Deliver against the Kentucky depletion, distribution, and revenue targets set with the Area Director.

• Work the Kentucky distributor relationship day to day alongside the Area Director, covering the State Manager, Division Manager, and District Manager levels, and hold a consistent business rhythm at each level.

• Schedule and lead distributor sales meetings, work-withs, programming reviews, new item launches, and quarterly business planning sessions.

• Call on key on- and off-premise accounts every week, personally selling distribution, features, and back bar placements.

• Build the on-premise base across Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky, prioritizing cocktail menu placements, back bar visibility, and by-the-glass features in the accounts that set the tone for the state.

• Build off-premise presence with the independent and chain retailers that bourbon shoppers rely on, including shelf placement, displays, allocated and limited release programs, and in-store tastings where permitted.

• Train distributor sales teams and trade accounts on product knowledge, brand standards, and selling technique.

• Monitor depletion data, distribution reports, and sales KPIs, identify gaps and opportunities, and build corrective plans with the Area Director.

• Track competitive activity, market trends, and new business opportunities, and report them to the Area Director.

Marketing, Events & Hosting

• Source and maintain a running list of the key bourbon events across Louisville, Lexington, Bardstown, and Northern Kentucky, including festivals, trade shows, whiskey clubs, charity auctions, Derby week, and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, and recommend which to pursue with a cost and expected return for each.

• Represent Heaven’s Door and the SIP portfolio at these events, pouring at the booth and working the room with trade, collectors, and media.

• Plan and run the Kentucky event calendar end to end, including product and samples, POS, staffing, and permits, and measure each event against distribution and depletion outcomes in a written recap.

• Run a steady cadence of consumer samplings and tastings in on- and off-premise accounts, tied to new placements, features, and retail programs.

• Build relationships with Kentucky’s whiskey clubs, collectors, bartenders, and local media, and capture photo and video at events for the national marketing team.

• Act as SIP’s in-market lead for The Distillery at Pleasureville. Work with the team on property to host trade, distributor, and national account visits, run events, and tell the Heaven’s Door story on our own ground.

• Host distributor, trade, national account, and media guests in Kentucky, including at The Last Refuge, and turn those visits into placements and programs.

• Manage the assigned Kentucky A&P budget including incentives, samples, tastings, POS, sponsorships, and local events.

• Work with the National Ambassador and field marketing team so Kentucky programming stays consistent with national brand standards.

Key Account Management: The Last Refuge

• Serve as SIP’s key account manager for The Last Refuge, our most important retail account nationwide, and own the relationship with its ownership, management, and bar team.

• Program the account at least once a month with a tasting, release, dinner, or other event, planned on a rolling calendar, and represent the brand at every Last Refuge event where Heaven’s Door is featured.

• Keep the Heaven’s Door and SIP portfolio selections on The Last Refuge whiskey list current and accurate, including new releases, pours, and flights.

• Lead regular staff trainings so the bar and floor team can tell the brand story and sell the liquid.

• Manage Heaven’s Door sponsorships and co-hosted programs at The Last Refuge, making sure deliverables are met and tracked.

• Report monthly on account performance and program results, and hold a regular business review with the account and the Area Director.

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure all sales, event, sampling, and sponsorship activity complies with Kentucky ABC regulations, including tied-house and sampling rules, and with company policy.

• Submit all required reporting on time, including weekly activity, event recaps, and the monthly Last Refuge review.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry across sales, field marketing, or brand advocacy, spirits preferred. Direct sales experience is required.

• Kentucky market experience with existing on-premise, distributor, and bourbon community relationships, particularly in Louisville and Lexington.

• Demonstrated experience managing a distributor or wholesaler relationship and driving execution through their sales teams.

• Strong understanding of the three-tier system with experience at the supplier or distributor level.

• Proven track record of on-premise selling: cocktail menu placements, back bar, and by-the-glass features.

• Experience managing a high-profile key account, including staff training and ongoing account programming.

• Experience planning and executing trade and consumer events, samplings, and sponsorships, and the judgment to choose the ones that move the business. Distillery, visitor center, or hospitality experience is a plus.

• Deep whiskey knowledge. A credential such as Executive Bourbon Steward or WSET is a plus.

• Strong analytical skills and the ability to read sales data (VIP/iDig, Nielsen/IRI) and turn it into action.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and hosting skills. You will be in front of guests as often as you are in front of buyers.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and CRM platforms.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field preferred.

• Must reside in Kentucky, in or near Louisville.

• Available to work nights and weekends, which the event calendar will regularly require.

• Must be 21 years of age or older.

• Valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

Compensation

• Base salary plus monthly commission on Heaven’s Door and Rare Hare depletions in Kentucky. Commission is paid on depleted cases, not shipments.

• Annual performance bonus tied to attainment against the Kentucky depletion plan and to agreed objectives for the event calendar and The Last Refuge program.

• Monthly car allowance and travel and entertainment reimbursement.

• Benefits available to regular full-time employees including medical, dental, and life insurance, plus paid vacation.

• The plan is built so that delivering the Kentucky number produces on-target earnings in line with SIP’s other field leadership roles. Specifics are reviewed during the offer conversation.

Key Competencies

• Kentucky Credibility - Known in the market and in the bourbon community. Has the relationships to get in front of a NuLu buyer, a distributor district manager, or an event organizer on short notice.

• On-Premise Selling - Wins cocktail menu placements and back bar space, and knows what it takes to keep them.

• Key Account Leadership - Runs a flagship account like a business partner, with a steady program, a trained team, and a current whiskey list.

• Host - Comfortable in front of a room. Runs a distillery visit, a tasting, or a festival booth without a script.

• Event Judgment - Knows which events matter, what they cost, and how to turn a booth or a tasting into placements.

• Distributor Acumen - Navigates the wholesaler organization, builds champions, and drives execution through influence.

• Organization - Keeps events, samples, budgets, and follow-ups moving without dropping details.

• Accountability - Owns execution. Tracks performance and closes gaps with urgency.

• Hustle - Brings energy, persistence, and a results-driven approach to every day in the market.