The Kentucky Distillers’ Association announced that Allison Delande has joined the nonprofit trade group as its first-ever director of special projects.
An events management, marketing and branding expert, Delande spent the past 20 years strategically developing, building and managing brands through multiple channels, including in-person experiences, web, marketing, advertising and fund-raising.
“We’ve had the pleasure of working directly with Allison on several key events and initiatives over the last few years and have been incredibly impressed with her work ethic, passion, professionalism and expertise,” KDA President Eric Gregory said.
“Allison’s experience will greatly benefit the KDA and our members as we continue to market and grow the profile of Kentucky Bourbon around the world and strengthen the Commonwealth’s title as the one, true and authentic home for Bourbon.”
At the KDA, Delande will coordinate and elevate KDA-related events and initiatives, including the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame®, Order of the Writ®, the Kentucky Bourbon Affair™, KDA Annual Meeting, legislative receptions and other special projects and internal events.
Delande said she looks forward to using her talents to widen the impact of Kentucky Bourbon.
“I’m truly grateful for this opportunity to join the KDA and further highlight its key initiatives,” Delande said. “Kentucky’s Bourbon industry is on an outstanding trajectory and I look forward to helping it achieve ever greater success.”
Delande comes to KDA from Minnick Media Inc., where she managed day-to-day operations, programming and experiential marketing for Fred Minnick’s growing business and brand.
“Allison is going on to new and additional great opportunities with the KDA. It’s a hard loss for my organization, seeing such a multi-talented employee and outstanding person leave my company, but her transition is great for Bourbon at large,” Minnick said. “Working with the KDA, Allison will bring her knowledge and depth of experience to initiatives that benefit the entire industry. I look forward to partnering with her and the KDA on Bourbon-related events in the months and years ahead.”
Born near Toronto, Canada, Delande grew up in Cincinnati and received her bachelor’s in fine arts from Northern Kentucky University. After moving from Chicago to Louisville in 2007 with her family, she served as marketing and event coordinator for the Louisville Water Company, managed all aspects of the Louisville Certified Tourism Ambassador program, and worked with Bourbon Women Association.
She and her husband, Keith, have 16-year-old twins and live in Prospect.
Founded in 1880, the KDA is the voice for Bourbon and spirits issues. Its diverse membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s Bourbon, from legendary, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are building the next generation of America’s only native spirit.
Bourbon is one of Kentucky’s most treasured industries, a thriving $9 billion economic and tourism engine sustaining more than 22,500 jobs with an annual payroll topping $1.23 billion each year, over $285 million in local and state taxes and $1.8 billion in federal alcohol taxes.
A key export, the iconic industry is currently in the middle of a $5.2 billion building boom, from innovative new tourism experiences to expanded production facilities, bottling centers and aging warehouses, all to meet the growing global thirst for Kentucky Bourbon.
Bourbon production has skyrocketed more than 435% since the turn of the century.
Kentucky now boasts more than 10.3 million barrels of Bourbon aging in warehouses across the Bluegrass, the most in its revered distilling history. Distillers filled more than 2.4 million barrels in 2020 alone, the third year in a row that production topped the two million mark.
Attendance at the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® experiences continue their rapid rebound from COVID and closures, up 160% in total attendance from last year and just down slightly from the pre-pandemic record in 2019.
Visit www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com to learn more.