Ed Kohl
CEO, Managing Director, Keeper of the Quaich, Musketeer
Ed Kohl is the CEO and Managing Director of Keeper’s Quest Inc, dba Keeper’s Quest Brands with more than three decades of experience in the wine and Scotch industry, he is a brand builder from beginning to end.
Ed is a customer-focused professional known for building strong, effective relationships and maximizing sales opportunities with his knowledge of the distribution channels. His proven sales talent has resulted in securing key accounts, cultivating strategic relationships, increasing his customer base and generating revenue. Ed is persistent in achieving set goals while building company value.
He started the company with only one brand and a strong belief that his company could grow — and this it did. With 10 more brands in the portfolio, the company has a growth rate of 30% annually, and it’s poised for a positive future. Today, Ed is known as the “Spirit and Scotch expert” to thousands in the industry. He conducts workshops and seminars around the USA with the goal of educating people on the nuances of Scotch and spirits, including the distillation process, tasting and more.
With a focus on expanding the company offerings to include specialty spirit categories outside of the current offerings, Ed and his team are creating a seamless interconnected communication with distillers, retailers and consumers. His main effort is to connect with the consumer who is not interested in the everyday brands, but who wants a new experience with a new brand. This includes younger generations who are considered the growth and expansion in the spirits industry whether they purchase in retail stores, bars, or restaurants.
His company serves as the U.S. importer of great spirits, and as a true whisky fan, Ed ensures that the spirits he imports are authentic, all natural, and each has its own unique story to tell. In 2012 Ed was inducted into “The Keepers of the Quaich,” a Scotland original organization that honors and gives recognition to individuals who have worked, excelled and promoted the growth of Whisky and Scotch for more than 10 years. In September 2017, Ed was inducted into the Order of the Musketeers in France. This is an organization designed to honor and promote Armagnac Brandy.
Lynn Kohl
President
Lynn has more than 45 years of experience in the beverage industry as Ed Kohl’s lifelong partner. She has been an integral part in promoting the spirits business for the past 25 years as a liaison to Ed.
With multiple trips overseas to various distillers and millions of miles of travel, she has experienced various layers of sales and marketing specializing in direct consumer promotions. She has conducted many onsite tastings throughout the US and has an ever-expanding knowledge of the spirits industry.
Leslie Sampson
Office Manager | Kelly Historian
Leslie has more than two decades of office and customer service experience, having previously functioned in roles designed to assist upper-level management. She also has previous experiences managing stores, online shops, and designing advertisements and other media for online magazines and newspapers. She is the in-house graphics designer for both Keeper’s Quest & JW Kelly. Leslie is also a published author, with more than three books and several articles to her credit.
Shortly after joining the firm in 2021, Leslie became fascinated with the story of J.W. Kelly. She decided to learn more, and dived into not only Kelly research, but also local whiskey research and Chattanooga history. She has since become the leading historian about J.W. Kelly & Co.