Heaven Hill
Heaven Hill was founded in 1935 in Bardstown, Kentucky by the five Shapira brothers, and remains one of the few major American whiskey houses still family owned. The company’s history includes one of the most significant setbacks in modern bourbon: the 1996 fire that destroyed the original Bardstown distillery and seven warehouses, with more than 90,000 barrels lost. Heaven Hill later bought the Bernheim Distillery in 1999, moving distilling operations to Louisville, and in 2025 it returned to Bardstown distilling with the opening of the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.
Heaven Hill was founded in 1935 in Bardstown, Kentucky by the five Shapira brothers, and remains one of the few major American whiskey houses still family owned. The company’s history includes one of the most significant setbacks in modern bourbon: the 1996 fire that destroyed the original Bardstown distillery and seven warehouses, with more than 90,000 barrels lost. Heaven Hill later bought the Bernheim Distillery in 1999, moving distilling operations to Louisville, and in 2025 it returned to Bardstown distilling with the opening of the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.
