A former executive at a high-profile Kentucky bourbon distillery has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the company.
In the lawsuit, filed Feb. 13, in Nelson County, Sylvia E. Sanders accused Bardstown Bourbon Company, parent Lofted Spirits, Lofted CEO Mark Erwin, BBC president Peter Marino, Pritzker Private Capital Investment Partners and PPC operating partner Christian Brickman of gender discrimination and retaliation.
Bardstown Bourbon and parent Lofted Spirits are part of Pritzker Private Capital., which is owned by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Anthony N. Pritzker.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the distillery said: “We believe these claims are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves.”
It’s a potential black eye for an up-and-coming bourbon player that has seen increasing success despite a downturn in the overall spirits business.
In her lawsuit, Sanders said the company created a hostile work environment for female employees and others. According to her complaint, Sanders, 62, was fired in May 2024 after she reported “illegal, unethical, discriminatory and improper conduct” by the defendants.
Sanders served as BBC’s vice president of human resources for five years at Bardstown Bourbon Co. and was responsible for its affiliates, including Green River Distilling in Henderson.
Erwin was named CEO and president of BBC in September 2019; Marino was later named president of BBC and Erwin was elevated to CEO of Lofted Spirits. The company...
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