Centerpiece Sponsor · 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame®
Vendome at the 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame
Four generations of stills, and a seat at every table.
On Monday, September 14, 2026, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association welcomed the Class of 2026 into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame®. Vendome Copper & Brass Works was proud to be the Centerpiece Sponsor, two generations of the Sherman family sat down with Bourbon Pursuit on the livestream, and one of the new inductees thanked the whole family from the podium.
Watch the Sherman family · 1:50:22 Shane Baker’s thank-you · 3:06:17On the livestream
The Sherman Family with Bourbon Pursuit
Bourbon Pursuit carried the whole day live. The player below is cued to 1:50:22, when the hosts pulled Tom Sherman, third generation, and fourth-generation owners Mike and Rob Sherman in front of the camera.
2026 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame Live Coverage · Bourbon Pursuit · September 14, 2026
Four generations, one shop
A Short Version of a Long Story
Tom gave it, since he is the oldest. His grandfather founded the company in 1903, when distilleries were everywhere, “small ones on farms, every place else.” Prohibition closed nearly all of them, apart from the handful licensed for medicinal whiskey, and Vendome came right back the moment it ended. His father and uncle ran the shop, and then Tom and his brother Dick took it over in the 1970s.
“My grandfather started the business… And here we are today. Still building stills.”
Tom Sherman, third generationAsked what the Hall of Fame means to the family, the answer was that it is one of their favorite events of the year: a chance to catch up with everyone in an industry where competitors are this close, and where the people being honored have gone from customers to friends over four decades. As our family put it, this is a class full of people who “were once customers, now they’re our friends.”
And asked how it feels to build for the best distillers in the world, the answer was pure Vendome. Bourbon is one of the oldest products in America. You can still go down by the creek and make it with fire and water. What these distilleries do with it is turn it into a premium product that earns its price, and there is no doubt in our minds that Kentucky Bourbon will keep going.
The interview is cued up above, or you can open it on YouTube at 1:50:22.
The Class of 2026
An Honor to Support
The Induction Ceremony and Luncheon at the Marriott Louisville East brought together 330 guests to recognize seven individuals whose work has shaped Kentucky Bourbon. Author and Bourbon authority Susan Reigler emceed, Governor Andy Beshear joined the celebration, and the room was full of the distillers, builders, writers and lawmakers who made Bourbon Kentucky’s signature industry.
Congratulations to every one of them. Helping the KDA give this class the celebration it deserved was a privilege.
Thank you to Rob and Mike Sherman, the whole Sherman family, key partners to us who’ve been a catalyst that helped us explode both our growth and Ferm Solutions… building and supplying all the equipment to keep up with Wilderness Trail, to where we grew to over 200 barrels a day, seven days a week. And so thank you, the entire Sherman family.
Shane Baker
Co-founder, Wilderness Trail Distillery and Ferm Solutions, in his 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame acceptance speech. Hear it at 3:06:17
Shane and Pat, thank you right back. Watching a customer go from a brand-new distillery to a Hall of Fame induction, on equipment we built together, is the reason this family is still doing this after four generations. Hear the full speech from 3:00:19.
Why a centerpiece
Copper at the Center of the Table
The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® was founded by the KDA in 2001 to recognize people who have made a transformational impact on Bourbon’s stature, growth and awareness. It is one of the highest honors in our industry, and supporting it is one of the ways Vendome gives back to the community that has kept our doors open in Louisville since 1903.
This year that support took the form of the centerpieces on every table: roses and hydrangea with a small Vendome Copper & Brass Works pick tucked into each arrangement. We liked the symbolism. Copper is at the heart of every distillery, usually out of sight in the stillhouse. For one afternoon it was at the center of the table.
Our thanks to Allison Delande, Eric Gregory and the entire KDA team for a flawless day, to Bourbon Pursuit for the livestream, and to Jennifer Schoenegge Photography for the images on this page.
From the day
Scenes from the Ceremony
Photos courtesy of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association and Jennifer Schoenegge Photography
Watch, share, congratulate
Raise a Glass to the Class of 2026
The full livestream, the KDA’s announcement and the photographer’s gallery are all open to share.
Full livestream KDA announcement Event photosThe Vendome Copper & Brass Works Team
