Newest members inducted into Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame

NELSON COUNTY, Ky. (WAVE) - The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame has welcomed the 2023 inductees.

Eight individuals were nominated this year. They included distillery founders and craftsmen, government leaders, a groundbreaking activist, and even the first father and son to share the prestigious honor in the same class.

This year’s inductees are:

• Dr. Jerry O. Dalton, retired Master Distiller, Jim Beam. A 22-year industry veteran, Dalton worked as a chemist for Barton Brands before moving to Jim Beam where he spent 12 years, finishing out his career as Master Distiller succeeding the legendary Booker Noe.
• The late Mrs. Dixie Sherman Demuth, Owner, Dixie’s Elbow Room. A bar owner in the 1950s, Demuth took her fight for women’s rights to the Kentucky Supreme Court, which overturned a 200-year-old law to allow women to serve and enjoy alcohol in a public bar.
• Mr. Greg Fischer, former Mayor of Louisville, Ky. As a three-term mayor, Fischer is hailed for coining and promoting “Bourbonism,” a burgeoning hospitality movement focused on Louisville’s leading position in the Bourbon, tourism and local food scenes.
• Mr. Pete Kamer, Owner, Distillery Engineering. After retiring from a 45-year industry career with Seagram’s and Barton Distillery, Kamer started a leading consulting business that has helped launch dozens of distilling companies, including many Kentucky craft distilleries.
• Mr. Joseph J. Magliocco, President & CEO, Michter’s Distillery. Celebrating an industry career that spans 40 years, Magliocco resurrected the storied Michter’s brand and brought it to Kentucky, helping to lead the Whiskey Row renaissance in downtown Louisville.
• Mr. Dean Watts, Former Nelson County Judge-Executive. As the longest serving judge-executive in Nelson County history, Watts created a hospitable economic environment for the industry to flourish and welcomed several new distilleries during his 28 years in office.
• Mr. Chester ‘Chet’ Zoeller, Author, Historian and Co-founder, Jefferson’s Bourbon. After years of research, Zoeller wrote Bourbon in Kentucky, a comprehensive publication of his findings, cataloging nearly 1,000 distillers and brands across the Bluegrass State.
• Mr. Trey Zoeller, Founder, Whiskey Maker & Chief Strategist, Jefferson’s Bourbon. Since founding Jefferson’s Bourbon in 1997, Trey has developed dozens of award-winning Bourbon and rye expressions using unique blending and maturation techniques.

A record crowd of 300 people attended the event. For the first-time, this year’s awards were made from Kentucky Limestone.

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