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The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® welcomed its 24th class of inductees, celebrating their lasting contributions to the Kentucky’s Bourbon industry and its worldwide legacy. Founded in 2001 the event recognizes individuals who have made a transformational impact on Bourbon’s stature, growth and awareness. The highest honor awarded each year is the prestigious Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award. For 2026, that award, as voted on by his peers, went to Eric Gregory, President of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA).
You could say that Gregory’s impact on Kentucky’s signature spirits industry is almost immeasurable. But, having spearheaded the effort to do an in-depth report on the state of the industry every other year for more than a decade, it’s actually quite easy to measure how the bourbon industry has grown in Kentucky over the years and the impact it has had on the state.
Since joining the KDA in 2008, Gregory has turned what was once called the states ‘sin’ industry into its ‘signature’ industry through growing the number of distilleries, working with local and state governments to pass spirits favorable laws, to expanding the Kentucky Bourbon Trail that is now a shining light of spirits tourism, a model now setting the standard in the industry.
5 Questions with Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Member Eric Gregory
Before receiving his award, we had a chance to talk to Gregory and get his response to the five questions below. Watch the video to hear his answers and get a feel for what makes Gregory so deserving of this honor.
- When did your bourbon journey begin?
- Who were the top 3 people that were most influential in your bourbon journey?
- Did you ever imagine you would one day be in the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame?
- Looking back at your career what would you say is your crowning achievement?
- If you could turn back the hands of time, who is the one person, dead or alive, you like to share a pour with?
- How do you like to drink your bourbon?
Watch Eric Gregory’s Entire Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Speech
Gregory was introduced by another Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member Andrea Wilson, Master of Maturation and COO at Michter’s Distillery. After her heartwarming introduction Eric takes the mike and shares some of his memories of his nearly two decades with the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.
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Who is Eric Gregory?
Here is Eric Gregory’s complete bio provided by the KDA. You might need a pour, or two, to read the entire thing. It’s a long and glorious list.
Eric Gregory, a veteran communications and public affairs strategist, is President of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association that unites and leads the Commonwealth’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry, including the world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour.
Gregory assumed leadership of the KDA in 2008 and has reshaped not only the organization he heads, but also the trajectory of Kentucky Bourbon itself, elevating it from a recovering “sin” industry into a “signature” global economic, cultural, and tourism powerhouse.
Through vision, relentless work ethic, and strategic leadership, Gregory rebuilt the KDA from the ground up, expanding membership from just seven distilleries to more than 75 today, and created a highly effective trade association now regarded as a national model across industries.
His legacy has been defined by collaboration and unity, as Gregory brought together distilleries of all sizes under a shared vision, fostering a culture where collective success outweighs individual competition, and consistently emphasizing responsibility and public service.
Leveraging his 35-year career in governmental affairs, political consulting and journalism, Gregory has overseen a sweeping series of legislative and regulatory reforms that have unlocked innovation, expanded market access, modernized state tourism, and revolutionized the industry.
Crowning Achievement – The 20-Year Phase Out of the Barrel Tax (A Tax that is Not Charged in Any Other US State)
The pinnacle of his long list of successes came in 2023 with the passage of landmark legislation to phase out the discriminatory tax on aging barrels – a skyrocketing burden the industry had been fighting for more than 75 years. This career-defining achievement alone will save millions of Kentucky barrels from potentially leaving the state to avoid the tax – while protecting funding for local schools and vital emergency services – and stands as one of the most monumental policy victories in the history of Bourbon.
Revolutionizing the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Equally important – and revolutionary – has been Gregory’s leadership in developing Bourbon tourism into a global, bucket-list phenomenon. When he took the helm, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour was a modest, underdeveloped concept with only seven distilleries.
Through strategic branding, marketing, collaboration, intellectual property protection and a ton of media and tasting events, he reimagined and refashioned the Bourbon Trail™ into a world-class destination on par with Napa Valley.
Today, the KBT® features 74 locations throughout the state, attracts millions of visitors from across the globe, supports thousands of jobs, revitalizes rural communities, and fuels a vibrant hospitality ecosystem of restaurants, hotels, and small businesses.
He also created the Kentucky Bourbon Affair® fantasy camp, co-founded the Order of the Writ®, built the Kentucky Bourbon Tales® oral history project, launched the Lifting Spirits foundation, and revamped the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® into an elite, prestigious honor and experience.
Even with all these accomplishments, Gregory’s personal commitment is indisputable.
His leadership is marked by around-the-clock accessibility, unwavering integrity, fierce dedication and a “white glove” approach to member services that has earned the trust and admiration of distillers at every level.
Before joining the KDA, Gregory served as Governmental Affairs Manager at East Kentucky Power Cooperative. He previously served as Vice President of Public Affairs for Preston-Osborne, a Lexington public relations, political consulting, marketing and research firm.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Gregory began his career as an award-winning journalist for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He also served as a reporter and editor at the Honolulu Advertiser and has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize.
Gregory is a native of Henderson, Ky. He and his wife, Ellen, live in historic Midway, Ky., the state’s first town founded by a railroad, and have three children: Ginny, Duncan and Sarah. And if you ask about his favorite Bourbon, his response will always be, “Kentucky Bourbon.”
Congratulations to Eric and his entire family on this wonderful accomplishment.
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