Home » 2nd Bourbon Barrel of Compromise to honor former senators Daschle and Lott

2nd Bourbon Barrel of Compromise to honor former senators Daschle and Lott

Bourbon Barrel

LEXINGTON (June 16, 2017) – Continuing a tradition revived in 2015, the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship (HCCS) in partnership with the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) will host the second Bourbon Barrel of Compromise on June 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the featured guest and will speak at the event.

Former Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Trent Lott (R-MS), recently named Honorary Co-Chairs of the HCCS will receive the first Henry Clay Statesmanship Award for their consistent advocacy for greater bipartisan compromise, dialogue and compromise.

HCCS, along with its partners Transylvania University and the University of Kentucky, are dedicated to educating a new generation of leaders in the principles and practices of statesmanship. Founded in 2007, HCCS educates tomorrow’s leaders in the skills necessary for statesmanship, dialogue, negotiation and compromise. In addition to annual student congresses at the high school and college levels, HCCS sponsors lectures and conducts advocacy for negotiation and compromise in public policy at all levels of government.

Kentucky statesman Henry Clay – who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the Senate and as Secretary of State, was known as the “Great Compromiser” – would start each new Congress by bringing a barrel of Kentucky bourbon to Washington to “lubricate the wheels of government.” In 2015 HCCS and KDA hosted the inaugural Bourbon Barrel of Compromise to highlight Clay’s commitment to compromise, dialogue and civil discourse.

Robert Clay, a descendant of Henry Clay and HCCS’s chairman and founder, said: “Tom Daschle and Trent Lott embody Henry Clay’s famous statement that: ‘All legislation, all government, all society is founded upon the principle of mutual concession, politeness, comity, courtesy; upon these everything is based.”

“We all have a strong interest in effective government, and the heart of our democracy lies in the spirit of unity and compromise,” said Eric Gregory, president of the KDA. “We continue to be honored for the opportunity to take part in this worthy event, which brings our Master Distillers and their timeless craft to Washington to remind our leaders of the continuing role Kentucky Bourbon plays on our national stage.”

View a promotional video about the #barrelofcompromise: here
View a video about The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship: here

About the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship
Founded in 2007, the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship is dedicated to the education of tomorrow’s leaders in the skills necessary for statesmanship, dialogue, negotiation and compromise. In addition to annual student congresses at the high school and college levels, HCCS sponsors lectures and conducts advocacy for greater levels of negotiation and compromise at all levels of government. Alumni of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship now number over 600, and serve variously as elected state and local office holders, staffers in the U.S. Senate and House, as well as corporate and legal professionals in the private sector. The Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship is in partnership with Transylvania University, the University of Kentucky’s Martin School for Public Policy and Administration, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Council of State Governments. For more information about its programs, the Bourbon Barrel of Compromise or how to contribute, visit: www.henryclaycenter.org: or on Twitter @HenryClayCenter, on Instagram @henryclaycenter, on Facebook @henryclaycenter.

About the Kentucky Distillers’ Association
The KDA, a non-profit trade association founded in 1880, is the Commonwealth’s voice for Bourbon and distilled spirits issues. Its mission includes governmental and regulatory advocacy, technical assistance, international trade development, media relations, economic development support, and legal defense and integrated marketing strategies. Its 33 members – the most since the repeal of Prohibition – produce 90 percent of the world’s Bourbon and have transformed the legendary industry into a thriving, global economic engine and major tourism attraction with its Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® experiences. For more information, go to www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com