Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame to Induct Six in September

The honorees include two distillery founders, influential lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, a groundbreaking industry veteran and the acclaimed grandson of a Bourbon baron.  

The Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award will be bestowed on the late Stephen Francis Thompson, founder and president of Kentucky Artisan Distillery, who unexpectedly died in 2021 after an accident. He was 79 years old.  He was a former president of Brown-Forman Distilleries and a pioneering resource for craft distilleries across the country.  Other honorees, in alp[habetical order, are:

• Retiring Rep. D. Chad McCoy, R-Bardstown, Majority Whip, Kentucky House of Representatives, two-time recipient of the KDA’s “100 Proof” award for public service and champion of several landmark pieces of legislation.
• The late Stephen Francis Thompson, Founder and President, Kentucky Artisan Distillery (Lifetime Achievement Award), former president of Brown-Forman Distilleries and a pioneering resource for craft distilleries across the country.
• Julian P. Van Winkle, III, President, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, heralded grandson of Bourbon legend Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle, creator of the ultra-aged premium Pappy Van Winkle brand and the very first James Beard winner from Kentucky, as well as numerous other accolades.
• Andrea Marie Wilson, Executive Vice President, General Manager and Master of Maturation at Michter’s Distillery, and in 2009, the first woman to chair the KDA Board of Directors.
• Retiring U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Louisville, Co-Founder of the Congressional Bourbon Caucus and Chair of the House Budget Committee who helped lead a permanent reduction on the federal excise tax on distillers among other key measures.
• Kaveh Zamanian, Founder, Whiskey Maker and CEO, Rabbit Hole Distillery, left Iran in 1979 during the revolution and founded Rabbit Hole in 2012. He blends the immigrant whiskey maker tradition with time-honored methods, diverse perspectives and modernist aesthetics.

The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® recognizes individuals and organizations that have made a significant and transformational impact on Bourbon’s stature, growth and awareness. It is the highest honor given by the signature industry.

The invitation-only ceremony will be held Sept. 13 at My Old Kentucky Home state park in Bardstown, Ky., one of the state’s most revered historic sites. It is held annually in conjunction with the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, which runs Sept. 16-18 in Bardstown.