The 2025 class of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame features a longtime legislative champion, a trailblazing female entrepreneur, a key architect of the craft distilling boom, a 7th-generation distiller of a storied Bourbon family and a 50-year veteran whose name is synonymous with whiskey quality, integrity and industry leadership.
That respected veteran is Chris Morris, Brown-Forman Master Distiller Emeritus, who will receive the prestigious Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award for his illustrious career in Kentucky’s signature spirits industry dating back to 1976. It is the industry’s highest honor.
Morris, 67, has played an influential role in the success of the Brown-Forman portfolio establishing renowned brands such as Woodford Reserve Double Oak and Master’s Collection, while also serving on acclaimed industry boards as a respected and visionary leader.
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association on Tuesday announced this year’s esteemed class that will be inducted in September in an exclusive, private ceremony. The KDA created the Hall of Fame in 2001 to recognize individuals who have made a transformational impact on Bourbon’s stature, growth and awareness.
KDA President Eric Gregory noted that each inductee represents a chapter in the success of Kentucky Bourbon, from historic whiskey producers to the next generation of craft distillers, the recent modernization of Bourbon laws and policies, and a lifetime of service spanning the lows and highs of American whiskey which he helped to flourish.
“Even though they come from a variety of backgrounds, these distinguished leaders all have one thing in common: an unrivaled passion for Kentucky Bourbon that has shaped our timeless craft into the global economic and tourism powerhouse it is today.
“We look forward to celebrating them and their achievements in September — Bourbon Heritage Month — along with hundreds of Bourbon’s most iconic legends and luminaries, all showcasing how Bourbon Builds Kentucky.”
Here is the 23rd class of the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame®, in alphabetical order:
• Craig Beam, 66, Bardstown. A seventh-generation distiller, Beam learned the art and science behind crafting great whiskeys under the tutelage of his grandfather, Earl, and father, Parker, both legendary Master Distillers and Bourbon Hall of Fame inductees from Heaven Hill Distillery. Now in his fourth decade, Craig is showcasing his award-winning talents and continuing his legacy as Master Distiller at Jackson Purchase Distillery in Western Kentucky, one of the Commonwealth’s fastest-growing contract distillers.
• The late strong>Mary Dowling, Lawrenceburg. An acclaimed symbol of resiliency and pioneering spirit, Mary Dowling was born in 1859 to Irish immigrants and overcame anti-Irish sentiments and gender barriers to become a trailblazing Bourbon entrepreneur. The first woman to run a major distillery in 1903, Dowling audaciously moved production to Mexico during Prohibition. A pillar of her Lawrenceburg, Ky. community and clearly ahead of her time, Dowling built churches, championed immigrant, black and women’s rights and opened a free hospital before her death in 1930.
• Larry Ebersold, 75, Louisville. Ebersold’s decades-long career, blending corporate experience at Seagram’s with entrepreneurial consulting, has left an indelible mark on the modern Bourbon and rye whiskey industry. A key architect of the craft distillery boom, Ebersold’s expertise has shaped facilities for 31 distilleries, including New Riff, Rabbit Hole and Bardstown Bourbon, collaborating with architects and engineers to design innovative production spaces.
• Chris Morris, 67, Louisville. A 50-year veteran of the Kentucky Bourbon industry, Morris’ craftsmanship and integrity is hailed around the world for elevating Brown-Forman’s whiskey portfolio and crafting innovative brands such as Woodford Reserve Double Oak and its vaunted Master’s Collection. Morris also is one of the industry’s most respected historians, a three-time Chairman of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association Board of Directors, and a cherished mentor to his successor Elizabeth McCall, all of which has solidified his lasting, lifelong impact on Kentucky Bourbon.
• Damon Thayer, 57, Georgetown. One of the strongest champions of Kentucky Bourbon in the history of the Kentucky General Assembly, retired Senate Majority Leader Thayer is directly responsible for stewarding more than 20 pieces of legislation that modernized Kentucky’s signature industry, propelled its amber nectar into an unprecedented golden age and transformed distilling into an economic and tourism powerhouse for the Commonwealth.
Full biographies, submitted by the inductees, can be found at kybourbon.com.
Each year, candidates for the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame are submitted by KDA member distilleries and the KDA Board of Directors through a comprehensive application process.
A special selection committee consisting of all recipients of the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award then carefully reviews each application and selects no more than five nominees a year for induction.
The invitation-only ceremony and luncheon will be held Tuesday, Sept. 16, at The Legacy at Log Still in Nelson County.
Learn more about the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame at www.kybourbon.com.
Kentucky Distillers’ Association