Heaven Hill Celebrates New Distillery Opening With Bourbon Launch Hailed as ‘Once-in-a-Generation’

(Photos: Heaven Hill)

On Wednesday, Heaven Hill Distillery unveiled Heaven Hill Master Distillers Unity, a limited-edition bourbon bottled to mark the opening of its new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.

The bottling includes whiskey from the last remaining barrel produced at the original Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in 1991. That barrel, distilled by the late Parker Beam and aged for 34 years, was blended with 14-, 8- and 6-year-old bourbons distilled at Bernheim Distillery by Beam, Denny Potter and current Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll.

The release consists of 27 barrels and will yield about 4,000 bottles. Each will be bottled at 107 proof, the original entry proof used at the Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. Sold for a suggested retail price of $225, the bourbon has a mashbill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley and 10% rye.

Heaven Hill said Master Distillers Unity represents a symbolic return to Bardstown, where the company was founded in 1935. The new distillery joins Heaven Hill’s existing operations at Bernheim in Louisville and its more than 70 aging warehouses across Nelson and Jefferson counties.

“This release represents both a tribute to our past and a toast to our future,” O’Driscoll said in a news release. “By uniting the last available barrel from the Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery with carefully chosen selections produced at Bernheim Distillery, we are weaving together generations of dedication, artistry, and vision.”

The company describes the whiskey as having a copper color, aromas of sweetness, oak and spice and flavors of butterscotch, chocolate, caramel, pecans and toasted almonds, with a long oak and spice finish.

About the New Heaven Hill Springs Distillery

The Master Distillers Unity release coincides with the opening of the $200 million Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown, the company’s first distilling operation in the city since 1996. The facility began production in April and will work alongside Bernheim Distillery in Louisville to increase capacity.

Heaven Hill said the site opened with the ability to produce 150,000 barrels per year, with plans to scale up to 450,000 barrels. Features include a 60-foot Vendome copper still producing more than 33,000 proof gallons per day, in-house yeast propagation, and an onsite wastewater pretreatment system that generates renewable energy.

The distillery also incorporates efficiency measures such as a 22-gallon beer system that reduces daily water consumption by 24,000 gallons, LED lighting, insulated equipment and integrated energy systems. Environmental elements include restored white oak woodlands, prairie habitats, and stormwater basins.

“You don’t lead a distillery like this without understanding the shoulders you stand on,” O’Driscoll said. “This facility is a tribute to the craftsmanship and care that came before me and a promise that we will continue to live up to those standards, while advancing the science, sustainability and innovation that today’s whiskey world demands.”

Heritage and Design

The first barrel at the new distillery was filled in April by Charlie Downs, Master Distiller Emeritus and the only Heaven Hill employee to have worked at all four company distilleries.

The design incorporates references to the brand’s history, including custom copper tanks resembling those from Heaven Hill’s Glencoe facility and bricks salvaged from the Thomas Speed House. Benches crafted from reclaimed wood were dedicated to Parker Beam and the original Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.

The visitor-facing side of the facility includes a two-story bar, custom brass-inlaid casework, limestone pavers and a chandelier designed to evoke the site’s natural spring water.

Tourism and Community

Heaven Hill will launch a new Heritage Rising Tour on Sept. 8. The $55 small-group experience begins at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, continues with transportation to the distillery, and includes a guided tasting at the bar.

The company also pledged $500,000 toward the Bardstown Aquatic and Sports Center and emphasized its investment in community projects such as forestry education, pollinator habitats and native landscaping.

“As an independent, family-owned company, we’ve always had the freedom to take the long view,” said Kate Latts, co-president of Heaven Hill Brands. “Heaven Hill Springs Distillery is a long-term, generational investment in our brands, our people, and our place in Kentucky.”

Co-president Allan Latts added: “We’re building for the next 90 years the same way we’ve led for the past 90, by staying true to our values, investing in our people, and committing to the communities that make bourbon possible.”