Heaven Hill
Kentucky's Largest Independent — The Family Behind Evan Williams
Heaven Hill was founded just two years after Prohibition ended, when five Shapira brothers pooled their resources to build a distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. It was a bold bet on an industry that had just survived a 13-year existential crisis.
A devastating fire in 1996 destroyed the distillery and 90,000 barrels of ageing bourbon — one of the most spectacular distillery fires in American history. The Shapiras rebuilt, eventually purchasing the former Bernheim distillery in Louisville while maintaining their Bardstown warehouses.
The Story
Founded 1935
Today, Heaven Hill produces over 400,000 barrels annually and offers extraordinary range. Evan Williams Single Barrel provides single-barrel quality at blended prices; Elijah Craig pioneered the 'small batch' category; and the Heaven Hill bottled-in-bond series is a cult favourite among bourbon geeks.
The Heaven Hill Style
Heaven Hill uses a traditional corn-heavy mashbill with rye grain, producing a classic Kentucky bourbon profile: sweet corn upfront, rye spice in the middle, and toasted oak on the finish. Their proprietary yeast strain — maintained since 1935 — adds distinctive nutty, honeyed notes.
The Evan Williams Single Barrel programme is particularly notable: each vintage release carries the specific barrel number, rickhouse location, and barrelling date, offering transparency unusual at this price point.
Signature Notes
Evan Williams Single Barrel
A single barrel bourbon at a price that makes no economic sense. Each vintage release is hand-selected, with honeycomb, toasted almond, and maple notes. The best-value single barrel bourbon in America, full stop.
Whiskies from Heaven Hill
10 expressions in our collection · Average rating: 4.3
Visiting Heaven Hill
The Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown offers an excellent bourbon education. Bardstown itself is the 'Bourbon Capital of the World' with multiple distilleries within driving distance.
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