Nine decades since first operating a distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, we are deepening our Bourbon roots in our home community.

Today, we announced plans for a new, $135 million distillery to open by 2024. The state-of-the-art distillery will increase our distilling capacity to meet global whiskey demand and marks our return to distilling in Bardstown.

“The people of Bardstown have helped us create and build our brands over all these many years, so it’s a special homecoming to bring distilling back to this community,” says Max Shapira, president of Heaven Hill. “Our new distillery will honor our long-time Bardstown roots while applying state-of-the-art equipment and processes to produce the highest quality American Whiskey and build upon our meaningful partnership with Bardstown and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

RETURN TO BARDSTOWN

In 1996, a fire at our Bardstown campus resulted in the loss of our onsite distillery, seven rickhouses and almost 100,000 barrels of whiskey. After the fire, we moved our distilling to the historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, while bottling, aging of whiskey and other functions continued in the Bardstown area where they remain today.

Our new distillery will be built on a vacant 61-acre site at 1015 Old Bloomfield Pike, off KY 245. Construction is slated to begin this spring and the distillery will be operational by the end of 2024. Initial production is slated for 10 million proof gallons a year (150,000 barrels) and will have capacity to ramp up to producing 30 million proof gallons (450,000 barrels) over time. We will continue to age Bourbon at existing locations and the Bernheim Distillery will continue to operate at full capacity.

A SHARED AND STORIED HISTORY

The five Shapira brothers and a group of Bardstown-area investors founded Old Heavenhill Springs distillery in 1935 and filled its first barrel—labeled Bourbon Falls—on Dec. 13 of that year.

We’re proud of the spirits we’ve crafted since then, including several acclaimed brands. We’ve also earned numerous industry accolades including “Whiskey of the Year” and “Distillery of the Year,” attracted millions of Bourbon tourists to our visitor experiences, and filled more than 9.5 million barrels along the way.

“Bourbon making is an old art, but we are applying forward-thinking approaches to ensure we are environmentally conscious and a good neighbor,” says Conor O’Driscoll, master distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery. “Heaven Hill’s tradition of distilling with attention to detail, quality and craftsmanship will now be even more accessible as we grow our distilling heritage in Bardstown.”