Hall of Fame

Our first new inductee into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame is Steve Nally, a figure who has been a constant in the American whiskey business for five decades. In 2022, Nally celebrated 50 years of industry experience and is one of the few remaining Bourbon Hall of Fame master distillers currently working in this capacity. Nally spent his formative years growing up in Loretto, which was where his whiskey career began with Maker’s Mark Distillery in 1972. During the more than 30 years that he spent there, Nally progressed through every unique facet of the Maker’s Mark operations before taking on the role of master distiller in 1988.

In 2003, Nally retired from Maker’s Mark and took the next step to begin his own distilling consultancy work. It was during that time that Nally set the foundations for Wyoming Whiskey, which launched in 2009. He built the brand from the ground up and helped to develop its first line of products.

Then in 2014 it was time to return home to Kentucky as employee number one at Bardstown Bourbon Company, where Nally remains today as master distiller. Nally’s unique skill set made him a vital strategic asset for the company, which has gone from strength to strength since 2014. In 2018, Bardstown Bourbon launched its own award-winning brand, becoming the seventh-largest distiller of bourbon, rye, and American whiskeys in the US. Nally remains involved with product development while also serving as the face of the brand as it expands across the country. Many congratulations to Steve Nally on this award.