A Northern Kentucky distiller will soon enter the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.
Ken Lewis, founder and former CEO of New Riff Distilling in Newport, will be inducted into the hall of fame during a ceremony Sept. 10, when he will also receive the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award.
The annual event, held at at The Legacy at Log Still in Nelson County, Kentucky, is in conjunction with the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown.
According to a press release, Lewis is a former English teacher turned spirits retailer, expert and policy leader. The 71-year-old founded The Party Source in Bellevue and drove legal and legislative changes allowing Sunday and credit card alcohol sales. Lewis then launched New Riff Distilling in 2014 to redefine new benchmarks of whiskey making.
"From my early days in beverage alcohol retailing to the success of The Party Source, then launching New Riff Distilling, I have seen the industry change tremendously throughout my 50-year career,” Lewis said in the release. "It's truly an honor to be recognized by the Kentucky Distillers' Association by being inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and to join the other inductees whose achievements have brought prestige not only to the bourbon industry but also to the state of Kentucky."
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The distillers' association created the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2001 to recognize individuals and organizations that have significantly impacted the bourbon industry. Candidates are nominated each year by the association and its member distilleries.
Up to five inductees are then selected by a blue-ribbon committee, which includes all the living recipients of the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award.
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