You could say that Eric Gregory has bourbon in his veins.
The Henderson native grew up with parents who enjoyed Kentucky whiskey. His father, Wayne, “was the biggest Maker’s Mark fan of his time,” he said. “My mom (Tootsie) loved Old Fitz(gerald) and 7-Up. That was her drink.”
Wayne Gregory owned the Dixie Mart grocery on outer Clay Street in those days, and during the holidays would prepare fruit boxes as gifts for customers. For his best customers, Wayne would include a canned ham—and a bottle of Maker’s.
Eric’s grandmother Sarah Gregory ran the bakery at Dixie Mart, and during the holidays by the time he was 10 or 12, his job each night was to pull each of her jam cakes out of the cooler, remove the cloth that covered each of them, “pour whiskey over it, put the cloth back on and put it back in the cooler. I would have the smell of bourbon on my hands.”
Fast forward several decades. Gregory has been the president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association for almost 19 years and is credited, among much else, with helping build the Kentucky Bourbon Trail into a tourism mecca that draws millions of people each year.
On Thursday, the KDA announced that Gregory in September will be inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame, earning the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award for having “helped transform Kentucky Bourbon into an international economic, cultural and tourism powerhouse.”
He will be the first non-distiller to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in its 24-year history.
He’s also the second inductee with ties to Henderson, following Corky Taylor, who with his son founded the award-winning Kentucky Peerless distillery in Louisville and entered the hall in 2024.
“It’s quite an honor,” Gregory said in a phone interview with the Hendersonian. “I was very surprised.”
And, he joked, a little disconcerted.
“I told Bill Samuels (Jr., chairman emeritus of Maker’s Mark and a member of the first group of inductees in 2001) that this is something they usually give you when you’re heading out the door,” Gregory, 59, said. “I asked if they were trying to tell me something.”
Samuels, who just turned 86, answered, ‘No, we just wanted to do this before we’re all dead.”
So, Gregory said, “I’m not going anywhere. It’s my dream job.”
Gregory joined the distillers’ association in 2008 when it had just seven member distilleries; it today has more than 75.
When he came on board, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail—a KDA promotion to encourage tourists to visit its member distilleries for tours, tastings and purchases—was a sleepy contrivance.
Gregory, who came to the job after a career in journalism, governmental affairs and public relations, quickly super-charged the marketing of the Bourbon Trail—so much so that Samuels once told him he needed to slow down because the distilleries weren’t ready for the crush of crowds. Distilleries scurried to meet with consultants to develop gift shops, help craft their tours—even advise them on expanding their parking lots and adding restrooms.
Last year, the Bourbon Trail attracted 2.7 million visitors — nearly matching the record number in 2024. The KDA says its visitors today rival Napa Valley’s wine country for affluent demographics, with 62% reporting incomes greater than $100,000 and 80% coming from outside Kentucky. With visits typically lasting three to five days, those tourists spend an average of between $600 and $1,400 per trip on lodging, dining, entertainment and transportation, helping enrich Kentucky communities.
Under Gregory’s leadership, the KDA vigorously promotes its member distilleries and their many awards for bourbon, ryes and other whiskies.
He also fosters a spirit of collaboration among distilleries, including drawing new and smaller “craft” distilleries into the KDA fold with giant legacy distilleries such as Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark.
In KDA matters, he encourages distilleries to pursue collective goals that benefit the industry and state over individual competitive interests.
And under Gregory, the KDA has been an effective voice in Frankfort, achieving what the organization says are more than 20 landmark legislative reforms – including the gradual phase-out of Kentucky’s aging-barrel tax, a milestone achievement distillers sought for more than 75 years while ensuring that schools and fire departments don’t suffer revenue declines as result.
Candidates for the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame are submitted by KDA directors and member distilleries, and are reviewed by a blue-ribbon committee that includes all living recipients of the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Gregory’s presidency is defined by growth, modernization, and collaboration: legislative wins that removed long-standing constraints, a Kentucky Bourbon Trail expanded to global prominence and an industry culture built on unity,” his nomination form said. “His impact will be felt for decades in the laws, institutions, and partnerships now in place — helping ensure the Bourbon Capital of the World remains in Kentucky.”
In the interview, Gregory said much more needs to be done, such as helping the industry navigate a drop in demand among younger consumers; addressing federal tariff and trade policies that are hurting sales in Canada as well as India, the world’s leading consumer of whiskey — even coping with the surging popularity of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs that reduce cravings for drink as well as food.
“It’s all kind of hit us at once,” Gregory said.
While he and his family now reside in little Midway in Central Kentucky, he regards his birthplace warmly.
“I will always think fondly of my Henderson days,” Gregory said. “I may be a Midwegian”—an affectionate term for a resident of Midway—“but Henderson will always be home.”
NOTE: Because of a reporter’s error, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Eric Gregory will be the first non-distiller to be inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. Actually, there have been multiple non-distiller inductees over the years. However, Gregory will be the first non-distiller inductee to receive the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award.
