Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
Unlike many of the other large distilleries, visitors are not able to tour Heaven Hill's distillery. The main distillery, the Bernheim Distillery, is located in downtown Louisville and home to their two 70-foot column stills. A small artisanal distillery, which can be viewed by visitors, is located in the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, on Whiskey Row in Louisville. Heaven Hill's Bardstown campus houses their bottling facility, which also is not open to visitors. However, visitors can enjoy the Bourbon Heritage Center, which is located next door.
The Bourbon Heritage Center has recently undergone a major renovation and expansion and has been rebranded as the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience. The first phase was completed in late 2019 and included new tasting rooms and an expanded gift shop. The new gift shop offers a wide selection of Heaven Hill paraphernalia and whiskeys, including the occasional limited release, although these generally sell out quickly. The new tasting rooms, the Fitzgerald Tasting Room and The Founders Room, are spacious and offer an upscale atmosphere. The "Library" is also a beautiful new room which features an incredibly long wooden table which can be used for meetings or special events. The second phase of expansion which opened to the public on June 14, 2021, involved the construction of a restaurant and bar, called The Five Brother Bar and Kitchen, as well as expanded educational experiences. The You Do Bourbon experience, where users can interact with the ingredients and tools of making whiskey and have the opportunity to bottle their own whiskey is planned to be fully operational on July 1, 2021.
I have taken the Whiskey Connoisseur Experience a number of times. It begins with a presentation on the background of the Heaven Hill Distillery, and then moves on to an in-depth tasting of four whiskeys. Each visit, several of the 4 whiskeys sampled have differed, and each time one or two of their more limited releases have been included. On my last visit, we learned about and sampled Henry McKenna 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon, Pikesville Rye, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B520 and the William Heavenhill 13 year old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon. It's a great opportunity to try whiskeys that are often a little more difficult to find.
my short video of Heaven Hill Distillery's new rickhouse to take a peek inside.The Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center is always on my agenda when visiting Bardstown and I am looking forward to visiting again when the Visitor Center expansion is completed!
Peek inside the New Heaven Hill Warehouse (watch video)
| |
Please note that due to COVID Distillery Hours and Tour/Tasting Availability may vary. Please contact the distillery or check their web page or social media for details before you go.
| Days of operation | Tues–Sat: 11:00am – 5:00pm Sunday: 12:00pm – 4:00pm Closed Monday |
Paved Drive / Lot | Paved Lot |
Motorcycle Parking | No separate parking, but lot is very large |
-Motorcycle unfriendly features | No |
Number of tours per day | Mashbill Tasting: Tues-Sat: 6/day 11:15-4p Sundays: 4/day 12:15-3:15 |
Length of Tour(s) | 45 minutes |
Advanced topic tours? | Yes |
Advanced topic tour names | Whiskey Connoisseur Experience and other special tours/tastings |
Tours by owners /distillers available? | No |
Number of different types of tours | 2 Additional Special Tours/Tastings available occasionally |
On-Line Tour Reservations Available | Yes |
Advanced Reservations Recommended/Required | Yes |
| Cost for tour(s) in $ | Mashbill Tasting: $10 Whiskey Connoisseur: $20 |
Tasting Included? | Yes. Tastings are all that is available at this time |
| Number of samples included in tasting | Mashbill: 3 Connoisseur: 4 |
| Tasting Only Option? | Yes. Tastings are all that is available at this time |
| Tasting Only Option Cost | Mashbill Tasting: $10 Whiskey Connoisseur: $20 |
High-end tasting option? | Whiskey Connoisseur has higher end bourbons; Special Tastings occasional available |
High-end tasting option cost? | $20 |
Designated Driver Option | No |
Handicapped Accessible? | Yes |
| Souvenirs included with tour? | No |
Gift shop | Yes |
On-Site bottle sales? | Yes |
| On-site food: Restaurant/Cafe/Snacks | Coming Soon (as of March 2021) |
| On-site Cocktail bar | Coming Soon (as of March 2021) |
| On-site event space | Coming Soon (as of March 2021) |
| Should I visit? (Yes, Perhaps, No) | Yes |
| Unique Features | Educational tastings. New expanded visitor center will feature enhanced educational experiences and new restuarant/bar. |
Website | |
Date Visited | March 2021 |
| |