Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (formerly Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center)
Old Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center Sign
Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience
Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience Entrance
Gift Shop
Gift Shop
Entrance to Tasting Rooms
The Founders Room
The Founders Room Bar
Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room
Connoisseur Experience - Fitzgerald Tasting Room
Five Brother Bar & Kitchen
Barrel Rolling Practice Course
Bottling Facility
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
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. Other brands with more limited distribution include J.T.S. Brown, J.W. Dant, T.W. Samuels & Chicken Cock to name a few.
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 is 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 have the opportunity to sample 3 or more barrel strength whiskeys, and then have the opportunity to bottle their own whiskey, became fully operational in Fall 2021.
As there is no distillery on-site, experiences at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience center around education and tastings. There are three such experiences currently. These are an opportunity to taste some of Heaven Hill's 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 now including a rickhouse tour) and the Whiskey Connoisseur Experience (5 higher end samples are offered). You Do Bourbon is an experience offering a great opportunity to taste some barrel strength bourbons and a wheat whiskey, and then bottle your favorite. Follow this link to read our Heaven Hill You Do Bourbon Experience review. Occasionally there will be special tastings or other events which will have limited availability.
Heaven Hill You Do Bourbon Experience review. Occasionally there will be special tastings or other events which will have limited availability.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 five whiskeys. Each visit, several of the 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, Evan Williams Master Blend, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A122, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon and the Parker's Heritage Collection Bourbon Finished in Orange Curacao Barrels. 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 have also been filling their newly constructed giant 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 rickhouse. Check out my short video of Heaven Hill Distillery's new rickhouse to take a peek inside.
my 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!
Peek inside the New Heaven Hill Warehouse (watch video)
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Please note that 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 | Monday - Thursday: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m |
Paved Drive / Lot | Paved Lot |
Motorcycle Parking | No separate parking, but lot is very large |
-Motorcycle unfriendly features | No |
Number of tours per day | Magic of the Mashbill: M-Th: 5 F-Sa: 6 Su: 3 |
Length of Tour(s) | 90 minutes |
Advanced topic tours? | Yes |
Advanced topic tour names | Whiskey Connoisseur Experience, You Do Bourbon and other special tours/tastings |
Tours by owners /distillers available? | No |
Number of different types of tours | 3 Additional Special Tours/Tastings available occasionally |
On-Line Tour Reservations Available | Yes |
Advanced Reservations Recommended/Required | Yes |
| Cost for tour(s) in $ | Magic of the Mashbill: $18 |
Tasting Included? | Yes |
| Number of samples included in tasting | Mashbill: 3+ |
| Tasting Only Option? | Yes |
| Tasting Only Option Cost | Whiskey Connoisseur: $25 |
High-end tasting option? | Whiskey Connoisseur has 5 higher end bourbons; Special Tastings occasionally available; Tasting of Barrel Strength Whiskeys in You Do Bourbon |
High-end tasting option cost? | Connoisseur: $25 You Do Bourbon: $40 |
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 |
| On-site Cocktail bar | Yes. Five Brothers. |
| On-site event space | Yes |
| Should I visit? (Yes, Perhaps, No) | Yes |
| Unique Features | New expanded visitor center with enhanced educational experiences and new restaurant(coming soon)/bar. |
Website | |
Date Visited | October 2022 |
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