Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

founded in 1935 and headquartered in

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Str ...

Bourbon Whiskey Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbo ...

and a variety of other distilled

spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

. Its current distillery facility, called the Heaven Hill Bernheim distillery, is in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. It is the seventh-largest

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

supplier in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the second-largest holder of

bourbon whiskey Bourbon () is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn. The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbo ...

inventory in the world, the largest, independent, family-owned and operated producer and marketer of distilled spirits in the United States, and the only large family-owned distillery company headquartered in

(not counting Brown-Forman Corporation, which is publicly traded but more than two-thirds family-controlled, or

Sazerac Company Sazerac Company, Inc is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionair ...

, which is family-owned but headquartered in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

History

Heaven Hill was founded by several investors shortly after the repeal of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

in 1935, including a prominent distiller, Joseph L. Beam, and a member of the Shapira family. As the company developed, the five brothers of the Shapira family bought out the other investors. Joe Beam remained as Master Distiller, along with his youngest son, Harry. Descendants of the Shapira brothers own and operate the company today. All of the Master Distillers at Heaven Hill since its founding have been members of the Beam family. The original Master Distiller was Joseph L. Beam,

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), seven generations of the Beam family have be ...

's first cousin. He was followed by his son, Harry, who was followed by Earl Beam, the son of

's brother, Park. Earl Beam was succeeded by the current Master Distillers, Parker Beam and his son, Craig Beam. The original name was "Old Heavenhill Springs" distillery. The company was founded as a

bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

distillery, with a model focused on providing bulk whiskey for third parties on a basis of

futures Futures may mean: Finance *Futures contract, a tradable financial derivatives contract *Futures exchange, a financial market where futures contracts are traded * ''Futures'' (magazine), an American finance magazine Music * ''Futures'' (album), a ...

(a buyer would purchase fresh whiskey, to be held in Heaven Hill's warehouses until the buyer paid the government tax to have it released). It also focused on its flagship bourbon labels, Evan Williams and

Elijah Craig Elijah Craig (November 15, 1738 – May 18, 1808) was an American Baptist Religious minister, preacher, who became an educator and capitalist entrepreneur in the area of Virginia that later became the state of Kentucky. He has sometimes, althou ...

. In the past two decades the company has expanded its portfolio, acquiring brands or obtaining import rights for gins, malt

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden cask ...

vodka Vodka ( pl, wódka , russian: водка , sv, vodka ) is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impuritie ...

s, and other drinks. Heaven Hill distillery, Bardstown, Kentucky

On November 7, 1996, Heaven Hill's production

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

(registered plant DSP-KY-31Bourbon Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) Numbers
BourbonDriker.com, January 15, 2010.) was almost completely destroyed by fire. The fire started in an aging warehouse and spread to other buildings and vehicles. 90,000 barrels of flammable bourbon were consumed. A "river of fire" flowed from the warehouses. From one account of the fire: "Flames leapt hundreds of feet into the air and lit the sky throughout the night. Witnesses reported seeing whiskey barrels explode and rocket across the sky like shooting stars ... a two-mile long stretch of the creek that supplied process water to the distillery was set ablaze for a brief time." The company survived the next several years through the provision of production capacity by its fellow local bourbon labels, Brown-Forman and Jim Beam, until its purchase and adaptation of the Bernheim distillery in

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

(registered plant DSP-KY-1,) from

Diageo Diageo plc () is a Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic beverage company, with its headquarters in London, England. It operates from 132 sites around the world. It was the world's largest distiller before being overtaken by Kweich ...

in 1999. While fermenting, mashing, and distilling occurs at the new distillery, aging, bottling, and shipping still occur in Bardstown. With the 2003 acquisition of distribution rights to

Hpnotiq Hpnotiq (pronounced "hypnotic") is an alcoholic beverage. It is native to New York, but bottled in France by Heaven Hill Distilleries, made from fruit juices, vodka and cognac. It is 34 proof (17% ABV) and is available in over 70 countries. Hi ...

, Heaven Hill greatly expanded their product base beyond bourbon. Hpnotiq is now the fourth highest selling imported liqueur in the US. While bourbon is still its main focus, Heaven Hill now distributes a wide variety of different products. The Heaven Hill company strongly emphasizes the history and traditions of bourbon in its public relations, highlighting the company's location in the historical home of bourbon-making and its status as the only such company still under local ownership. In 2004, the Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center was opened on the old distillery grounds, providing historical exhibits and guided

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

s of the

. The company also hosts the annual

Kentucky Bourbon Festival The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is a weeklong activity consisting of more than thirty events in Bardstown, Kentucky, United States, dedicated to celebrating the history and art of distilling bourbon whiskey. The organizers of the festival promot ...

, and several of the company's brands are named after famous local distillers. Since 2010, Heaven Hill has invested more than $100m in distillery expansions, warehouse construction, and Bourbon tourism. In November 2018, Heaven Hill announced a $65m multi-year investment into expanding operations, which includes a renovation of the Bourbon Heritage Center. In September 2021, about 420 workers, all members of the

United Food and Commercial Workers The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in industries including retail; meatpacking, food processing and manufacturing; hosp ...

union, went on strike due to disagreements over the terms of a new labor contract.

Production process

Heaven Hill Bourbon is made from a mash composed of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12%

malted Malting is the process of steeping, germinating and drying grain to convert it into malt. The malt is mainly used for brewing or whisky making, but can also be used to make malt vinegar or malt extract. Various grains are used for malting, mo ...

barley. The barrels used for aging have a #3 char. Prior to bottling, the whiskey is chill filtered through charcoal at .

Brands

As noted, Heaven Hill's traditional product has been bourbon; however, the company now oversees a broad range of labels. The company's labels include:

Bourbon brands

Cabin Still Cabin Still Bourbon is a Bourbon whiskey distilled in Louisville, Kentucky and bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Heaven Hill Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and hea ...

Bourbon * Echo Spring Bourbon *

Bourbon * Evan Williams Bourbon * Fighting Cock Bourbon * Heaven Hill Bourbon *

Henry McKenna Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

Bourbon * J.T.S. Brown Bourbon * J.W. Dant Bourbon * Kentucky Straight Bourbon * Kentucky Supreme Bourbon * Larceny Bourbon *

Old Fitzgerald Old Fitzgerald is a brand of wheated bourbon distilled in Louisville, Kentucky by Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. History Old Fitzgerald was first produced in 1870 for rail and steamship lines and private clubs located primarily in the south by ...

Bourbon * Private Cellar * Parkers Heritage Collection * T.W. Samuels Bourbon * Virgin Bourbon

Other brands

* Admiral Nelson's Spiced Rum * Ansac Cognac * Arandas Tequila * Aristocrat Vodka/Whiskey/Gin/Tequila (first marketed in 1991) *

Bernheim Original Bernheim Original is a wheat whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by Heaven Hill Distilleries Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentuc ...

straight wheat whiskey * Black Velvet Canadian whisky * Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum * Burnett's Gin * Burnett's Vodka * Christian Brothers Brandy/Holiday Nog/Ports & Sherries * Copa De Oro Coffee Liqueur * Coronet VSQ * Deep Eddy Vodka * Du Bouchett *

Dubonnet Dubonnet (, , ) is a sweet, aromatised wine-based quinquina, often enjoyed as an aperitif. It is a blend of fortified wine, herbs, and spices (including a small amount of quinine), with fermentation being stopped by the addition of alcohol. I ...

* Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur * Fulton's Harvest Apple Pie Cream Liqueur * Georgia Moon

corn whiskey Corn whiskey is an American liquor made principally from corn. Distinct from the stereotypical American moonshine, in which sugar is normally added to the mash, corn whiskey uses a traditional mash process, and is subject to the tax and identity ...

* Glen Salen Pure Malt Scotch Whisky * Heaven Hill Kentucky Whiskey * Hpnotiq Liqueur * Isle of Jura Single Malt *

Kentucky Deluxe Heaven Hill Kentucky Whiskey is an American blended whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by Heaven Hill Distilleries. The company sells a variety of blended whiskeys and straight bourbons in 16 oz (1 pint), 750ml, and 1-liter glass bottles, a ...

Blended Whiskey *

Lunazul Lunazul Tequila is a 100% blue agave tequila produced by the Tierra de Agaves company. History Francisco Beckmann, a former co-owner of the tequila brand José Cuervo, founded the Tierra de Agaves company in 2002. Lunazul tequila is grown, dist ...

* Mellow Corn Kentucky Straight

Corn Whiskey Corn whiskey is an American liquor made principally from corn. Distinct from the stereotypical American moonshine, in which sugar is normally added to the mash, corn whiskey uses a traditional mash process, and is subject to the tax and identity ...

* O'Mara's Irish Country Cream * PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur * Pikesville Straight

Rye Whiskey Rye whiskey can refer to two different, but related, types of whiskey: * American rye whiskey, which is similar to bourbon whiskey, but must be distilled from at least 51 percent rye grain * Canadian whisky, which is often referred to as (and o ...

* Rittenhouse Straight

* Ron Leave Rum * Two Fingers Tequila * Whaler's Original Rum

References

Bibliography

External links

Official website

Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center

The Whisky Portal
{{coord, 38.2448, -85.7815, type:landmark, display=title Bourbon whiskey Bardstown, Kentucky Distilleries in Kentucky Food and drink companies established in 1935 American companies established in 1935 1935 establishments in Kentucky Alcoholic drink brands Privately held companies based in Kentucky Family-owned companies of the United States