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                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (formerly Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center)

                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Experience
                      Old Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center Sign
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience  Construction
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience Construction
                      Gift Shop - Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Gift Shop
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center  Gift Shop
                      Gift Shop
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center  Tour Check In
                      Tour Check In
                      Entrance to Tasting Rooms - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Entrance to Tasting Rooms
                      The Founders Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      The Founders Room
                      The Founders Room Bar - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      The Founders Room Bar
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room
                      Barrel Rolling Practice Course - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Barrel Rolling Practice Course
                      Bottling Facility - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Bottling Facility
                      New Rickhouse - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      New Rickhouse (watch a video via link in text)
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience  Construction
                      Gift Shop - Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center  Gift Shop
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center  Tour Check In
                      Entrance to Tasting Rooms - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      The Founders Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      The Founders Room Bar - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Barrel Rolling Practice Course - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Bottling Facility - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      New Rickhouse - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Experience
                      Old Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center Sign
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience  Construction
                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience Construction
                      Gift Shop - Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      Gift Shop
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center  Gift Shop
                      Gift Shop
                      Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center  Tour Check In
                      Tour Check In
                      Entrance to Tasting Rooms - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Entrance to Tasting Rooms
                      The Founders Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      The Founders Room
                      The Founders Room Bar - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      The Founders Room Bar
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room
                      Barrel Rolling Practice Course - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Barrel Rolling Practice Course
                      Bottling Facility - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      Bottling Facility
                      New Rickhouse - Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center
                      New Rickhouse (watch a video via link in text)


                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
                      (formerly  Bourbon Heritage Center
                      1311 Gilkey Run Rd.
                      Bardstown, KY 40004
                      (502) 337-9593

                      External link opens in new tab or windowPeek inside the New Heaven Hill Warehouse (watch video)

                      Heaven Hill Distillery has been family owned and operated since 1935, and Heaven Hill Brands is America's largest independent family-owned & operated distilled spirits company. They produce a wide array of spirits, including some of our favorite whiskeys. Heaven Hill's brands include: Elijah Craig bourbons and rye, Evan William bourbons, Pikesville Rye, Rittenhouse Rye, Old Fitzgerald bourbons, Larceny bourbons, The Parker's Heritage Collection, William Heavenhill bourbons, Mellow Corn, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, Henry McKenna bourbons as well as several sold under the Heaven Hill label.

                      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 Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, which is located next door.

                      The Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience has recently undergone a major renovation and expansion. 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 became fully operational in Fall 2021.



                      Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience  is currently offering what they refer to as educational tastings. These are an opportunity to taste some of their whiskeys while learning a bit about bourbon and Heaven Hill's history. Two different tasting options are offered: The Mashbill Tasting (3 samples are offered, each from a different mashbill) and the Whiskey Connoisseur Experience (4 higher end samples are offered). Occasionally there will be special tastings or other events which will have limited availability. Prior to COVID, it was possible to take a tour of one of the many rickhouses located on this Bardstown campus, but those tours are not currently available. As of this Fall, You Do Bourbon was added to the experiences offered. It is a great opportunity to taste some barrel strength bourbons and a wheat whiskey, and then bottle your favorite. Follow this link to read our External link opens in new tab or windowHeaven Hill You Do Bourbon Experience review.

                      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.

                      In addition to the expansion of the visitor center, Heaven Hill is also increasing their barrel storing capacity. As of March 2021 they have 63 rickhouses spread across multiple campuses, with their newest site  being in Cox’s Creek.  They are starting to fill their newly constructed rickhouse on the Bardstown campus.  Located directly across from the Visitor Center, it has a capacity of 52,000 barrels.  It's a beautiful show piece for the campus featuring a large entry area with floor to almost ceiling windows at one of the corners.  In the future, this section of the warehouse will be where barrel picks will take place. Other novel features of this rickhouse are wide center and side isles, allowing for easier access to the barrels. Ricks hold three rows of 25 barrels each, and the rickhouse is 7 stories tall. I recently had to opportunity to visit this newest rickhouse.  Check out External link opens in new tab or windowmy short video of Heaven Hill Distillery's new rickhouse  to take a peek inside.

                      The Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience is always on my agenda when visiting Bardstown!

                      External link opens in new tab or windowPeek 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

                      External link opens in new tab or windowhttps://heavenhilldistillery.com

                      Date Visited

                      March 2021

                       

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