KDA announces board reshuffle for 2014
Trade body The Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) has announced a shake-up of its board of directors for 2014.
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association has announced its new board members for 2014Heaven Hill’s vice president of operations Joe Fraser was appointed chairman of the 134-year-old group at its annual meeting at the Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
“It’s an honor to serve as chairman during these unprecedented times of growth and success, but there’s still much work to be done,” he said.
“Our industry faces numerous challenges from tax and trade issues to securing the integrity of our craft and its rich heritage.”
The KDA board also appointed Andrea Wilson, director of whiskey strategy for Diageo North America, as vice chairman, and Chris Morris, master distiller at Brown-Forman, as secretary-treasurer.
Other Board members for 2014 include: John Rhea, chief operating officer at Four Roses Distillery; Rob Samuels, chief operating officer for Maker’s Mark, Beam; and Rick Robinson, plant director for Wild Turkey.
Fraser added that the group currently has its highest number of members since 1972 thanks to “a new generation of distilleries and a wealth of new programs and initiatives to build upon the Bourbon momentum”.
The KDA is a non-profit trade body set up in 1880 which “promotes and protects the Commonwealth’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry”.
The group recently announced that it would be hosting a four-day Bourbon “fantasy camp” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Congress declaring the whiskey as “America’s only native spirit”.
