Mere months away from the grand opening of the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (formerly the Bourbon Heritage Center) we’re excited to share a construction update on this exciting addition to Heaven Hill’s Bardstown campus. ​​​​​​​

Why ‘Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience’?

For many years, the name has posed a challenge because it didn’t include “Heaven Hill” or communicate that it was more than just a museum. Many consumers visited under the impression that it was a general Bourbon History Visitor Center rather than a Heaven Hill visitor experience. The renovation provided an opportunity to change the name to something that clearly communicates who we are and what the space has to offer – Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience. The visitor center team will officially unveil the new name at the soft opening events in May 2021.

Soft & Grand Opening Events

As the renovation wraps up, we’re excited to welcome employees, family and friends, reporters, and consumers into the brand-new space. The Soft Openings in May will allow us to share some of the key spaces of the visitor experience, get our staff acquainted with the flow of guests for the self-guided tour, and prepare for the Grand Opening in June. The Grand Opening will feature the entire experience including  You Do Bourbon and Five Brothers Bar  which will not be open during the Soft Opening.

Self-Guided Tour

The self-guided tour will include almost all the west wing of the building:  1935 Distillery Theater, Heaven Hill Family Corridor, Bourbon 101 exhibit, Elijah Craig Brand Gallery, Larceny Brand Gallery, and Bottled-in-Bond exhibit.

1935 Distillery Theater: An immersive video experience with powerful images, sound, and narration from Max Shapira, Kate Latts, Allan Latts, Andy Shapira and some of Heaven Hill’s key players throughout the company’s history who tell the story of our company’s founding in the most impactful way.  ​

Heaven Hill Family Corridor: This space is a magnificent blend of Shapira Family history, Heaven Hill company history, Bourbon Industry history, and American history.  It starts in the late 1800s with Mendel Lieb Shapira and takes us through time to modern day and the third generation of leaders. ​Just outside of the corridor, guests will have the opportunity to take a photo with a life-size standee of the five Shapira Brothers – the perfect social media photo op!​​​​​​​

Bourbon 101 Exhibit: This exhibit will feature Bourbon education that weaves throughout the west wing between the galleries. It includes general Bourbon facts and common misconceptions as well as Heaven Hill specific education like our warehouse locations and types.

Elijah Craig Brand Gallery: Guests will learn about how Elijah Craig was credited as being the first to char oak barrels, how that impacts Bourbon’s color and flavor profile, and the different levels of charring that we use at Heaven Hill. Guests can see a section cut of a rickhouse highlighting the barrel locations for Elijah Craig Bourbons – from Small Batch to Elijah Craig 18-year-old Single Barrel​.

Larceny Brand Gallery: The second brand gallery focusing on Larceny Bourbon, evokes the time and place of John E. Fitzgerald. This space is a more moody, dark, and mysterious space where guests will learn about the legend of Mr. Fitzgerald, the treasury agent. ​Guests will learn how to thieve whiskey like he might have done in his time.  They’ll engage with the bottled spirits display and interact with the ledger in a replica of John E. Fitzgerald’s office where he would have kept log of whiskey inventories.

Bottled-in-Bond Exhibit: Adjacent to the Larceny Brand Gallery, the Bottled-In-Bond exhibit is an important educational opportunity for Heaven Hill teaching guests about the Bottled-In-Bond Act, why it came to be, and how Heaven Hill is leading the industry in this category. On the back wall, guests will see a display of the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond decanters including some vintage bottles. On the other side, guests will learn about some of Heaven Hill’s other Bottled-in-Bond products like   Henry McKenna Single Barrel, Rittenhouse Rye, and Mellow Corn. ​ Finally, a hero display in the center will feature Heaven Hill 7-Year-Old Bottled-In-Bond.

Tours & Tastings

While all ticketed guests will have the opportunity to take the self-guided tour, what sets their experience apart is the tasting  they select. Below are the various options offered:

Mashbill Tasting: At about $15, this tasting will allow consumers to learn about the history of American Whiskey, Bourbon, and Heaven Hill Distillery. If safety permits, guests will visit Rickhouse Y. ​This tasting previously only featured Rittenhouse Rye, Elijah Craig Small Batch, and Larceny Bourbon. The new tasting will add Bernheim Wheat Whiskey and Mellow Corn allowing guests to taste five Heaven Hill mashbills.

Whiskey Connoisseur Tasting: We will continue to offer the Whiskey Connoisseur Tasting, a $25 elevated tasting experience driven to knowledgeable whiskey consumers that enjoy a deeper focus on color, aroma, taste and finish. Here guests can taste four premium American Whiskeys from Heaven Hill Distillery. These products rotate based on availability and we try to ensure the same bottles they taste are available for purchase in the retail shop.​

You Do Bourbon Tour: Our third staple tour, new to the mix, is You Do Bourbon consisting of a Tasting Room, Bottling Room, and Lab. This experience will cost about $45 not including the purchase of the product. Here, guests will taste 3-4 products unique to You Do Bourbon, then have the opportunity to rinse, dry, fill, cork, and personally label their own bottle – making it truly one of a kind.  Lastly, guests will get the chance to partake in hands-on learning in a lab with a microscope station, nosing station, and gauging station

Rotating Tasting Experiences: Aside from these three staple offerings, we will be adding Rotating Tasting Experiences. The frequency of these offerings will depend on the type and availability. Examples include Stay Bonded focusing on Bottled-in-Bond products, Kentucky Proud Pairing featuring whiskey and food pairings, and Demonstration Classes​ such as cocktail demonstrations.

Retail Space & Online Store

Heaven Hill continues to be praised for our gift shop featuring all kinds of merchandise including candles, t-shirts, barware, food lines, and more. Additionally, the retail space will continue to offer exclusive product offerings such as William Heavenhill, Heaven Hill Select Stock, and Elijah Craig Barrel Select. In the past year, online shopping has become the norm and in some cases a necessity. That said, we’re excited to announce that Heaven Hill will launch a more premium Evan Williams webstore and new webstores for Elijah Craig, Larceny, and Heaven Hill Distillery.

Five Brothers Bar

This second floor bar is a welcoming atmosphere with an overall seated capacity indoor and outdoor of about 110 people.  Due to COVID restrictions, capacity will be lower until it is safe to fully open. Additionally, the space will not be opening with a full restaurant, instead it will focus on making terrific handcrafted cocktails. When the time is right, we will launch the full restaurant and give everyone yet another reason to visit.

Event Space

Finally, the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience will feature an event space which can be set up in three different layouts to accommodate various capacities:

• 10-Top Round Tables: ~60 people
• Classroom Style: ~50 people
• Lecture Style: ~150 people

Heaven Hill is so excited for the upcoming opening of the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience! Stay tuned as we recap the Soft Opening and Grand Opening events and provide a few more sneak peeks of the space before it is open to the public.