Proof Drinks UK Takes a Tour of Kentucky from Bardstown to Bourbon
In December, Heaven Hill welcomed the on and off-premises sales teams from our UK distributor, Proof Drinks, to Kentucky.
The UK is a key international growth market for Heaven Hill and the objective for the trip was to fully immerse the team in our world class brands, facilities & culture – they were absolutely blown away!
On day one they headed to Bardstown for a tour of the spectacular Heaven Hill Springs distillery – a little bit of a sneak peek shortly ahead of opening. Adam Ganoe was kind enough to take time out on his Sunday morning to show the team around explaining the thinking behind the layout and design.
Next up, they made the short journey over to the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience for a rickhouse tour and barrel tasting with Sylvia Hans – an unforgettable experience for the team.
Day two began with a tour of the Bernheim Distillery – a fascinating contrast from Springs. Conor O’Driscoll took the team around this unique facility.
The afternoon of day two was business focused. They made their way to Hanover for a meeting with Matt Blevins, Susan Wahl, Max Stefka and Molly Vincent. Max and Molly outlined various initiatives taking place in the home market for Elijah Craig and Evan Williams and in turn, Hugo Wynter and Marc Duffy presented the UK Brand Plan for 2025. Despite the recent travel and long days, the Proof team was fully engaged – and they were delighted to meet Max Shapira who popped in to see them just before they left.
On the third and final day they set off early to Lebanon to visit the Independent Stave Company where Director of Spirit Research, Andrew Wiehebrink, engaged the team in a fascinating conversation about the role of the barrel in Whiskey profile development and production.
The afternoon was spent touring the mightily impressive production facilities at the Bardstown plant before they travelled back up to Louisville to see Bernie Lubbers and the Bottled-in-Bond Boys perform at Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen – “The best Whiskey training we’ve ever received” according to the Proof team.
They rounded off the trip with a visit to the Yum! Center to watch the Louisville Cardinals host Ole Miss and whilst the Cardinals failed to deliver the ‘W’ to give everyone the perfect ending – a great time was had by all.
They achieved what they set out to do – the team was blown away by all of the experiences they enjoyed in Kentucky and as they move into 2025, a critical year for our brands in the United Kingdom, they are well set to deliver further success and growth.
