A five-year veteran of Bardstown Bourbon Company's leadership team is taking the Kentucky whiskey giant to court, and the allegations she's brought with her paint a troubling picture of what she says was happening behind the scenes at one of the most well-known names in American bourbon.
Sylvia E. Sanders, 62, served as vice president of human resources at Bardstown Bourbon Company for half a decade. Her job, put simply, was to make sure the company treated its people right and stayed on the right side of the law. According to a lawsuit she filed on February 13 in Nelson County, Kentucky, she tried to do exactly that — and says she was shown the door for it.
The lawsuit names a long list of defendants: Bardstown Bourbon Company itself, company president Peter Marino, parent company Lofted Spirits and its CEO Mark Erwin, private equity owner Pritzker Private Capital Investment Partners, and operating partner Christian Brickman. Bardstown Bourbon Company operates under the Pritzker Private Capital umbrella, which is owned by Anthony N. Pritzker, brother of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.
The company has pushed back on the allegations. In a statement, they said: "We believe these claims are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves."
What Sanders Says She Saw
According to her complaint, Sanders wasn't fired for poor performance or restructuring. She says she was terminated in May 2024, shortly after reporting what she described as "illegal, unethical, discriminatory and improper conduct" within the organization.
The list of concerns she raised is extensive. Her complaint details allegations of a hostile work environment for women and other groups, widespread use of discriminatory language and slurs, racist and ageist behavior, and what she called identity-based decision-making when it came to employment. That's just the beginning.
Sanders also claims she flagged employees showing up to work — or becoming intoxicated while on the job — and supervisors doing nothing about it. She raised concerns about the falsification of occupational health records and incident documentation, theft of company product, and a hit-and-run accident she says was alcohol-related. Perhaps most striking, she alleges that underage employees were being served alcohol during work hours, with management not only allowing it but, according to her complaint, actively encouraging it.
She also claims that HR — her own department — was being deliberately kept out of situations where their involvement was not just appropriate but mandatory under company and Pritzker policy.
How It All Unraveled
Sanders says she took the proper steps when she discovered these issues. She put her concerns in writing, sending a detailed memo to CEO Mark Erwin laying out what she had found. When that didn't resolve things to her satisfaction, she escalated further, bringing her concerns directly to Christian Brickman at Pritzker Private Capital.
Within days of that escalation, she says, she was escorted off company property.
Her attorney, James M. Morris, didn't mince words in a statement about the case. "This case is about corporate accountability at the highest levels," Morris said. "Our client was the vice president of human resources — the person charged with protecting employees and ensuring legal compliance. When she reported systemic discrimination, retaliation, and potential regulatory violations, she was silenced and removed. No company — regardless of private equity ownership or political connections — is above Kentucky law."
The Political and Financial Web
The Pritzker name adds another layer to this story. Pritzker Private Capital acquired Bardstown Bourbon Company in March 2022. Almost immediately after the deal closed, the money started moving. The company announced a $29 million expansion within weeks of the acquisition and picked up Green River Distilling in Owensboro — where Sanders also oversaw HR operations — within months.
Mark Erwin had come aboard as CEO and president of Bardstown Bourbon Company back in September 2019. Peter Marino later took over as president of the bourbon company specifically, with Erwin shifting to the CEO role at the parent company, Lofted Spirits.
All of this growth and restructuring happened while Sanders was inside the organization, watching how decisions were made and who was being protected — and who wasn't.
The Bourbon Industry Background
Bardstown Bourbon Company has built a strong reputation in the industry, particularly in the contract distilling space where it produces whiskey for other brands while also growing its own label. The company has continued expanding even as the broader American spirits market has hit some turbulence in recent years, with consumer demand slowing across the board.
That business success, however, is now sharing the spotlight with a lawsuit that alleges the culture inside the company didn't match the polished image it projects to the outside world.
What Comes Next
Sanders is asking for compensatory damages, lost wages, lost equity interest, and punitive damages, along with attorneys' fees. She has requested a jury trial, meaning a group of ordinary citizens could ultimately decide whether the company's handling of her concerns crossed a legal line.
The case moves forward in Nelson County court, the same county where Bardstown Bourbon Company calls home.
For anyone who follows the bourbon industry closely, this lawsuit is worth watching. The combination of serious workplace allegations, a high-profile private equity owner with notable political ties, and a whistleblower who spent five years on the inside with access to the company's most sensitive employment matters makes for a case that goes well beyond a standard wrongful termination claim. Whether the courts side with Sanders or with the company, the story raises real questions about what accountability looks like when the person blowing the whistle is the one who was supposed to be in charge of accountability in the first place.
