DISTILLERY · BARDSTOWN & LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
Heaven Hill Distillery
Kentucky bourbon at industrial scale — family-owned, Bottled-in-Bond to the core, and one of America's deepest whiskey inventories.
Founded in Bardstown in 1935 by the Shapira brothers, Heaven Hill grew from a post-Prohibition startup into one of America's most important whiskey houses. After the 1996 fire destroyed the original Bardstown distillery, production shifted to the Bernheim distillery in Louisville, acquired in 1999; in 2025 Heaven Hill returned distilling to Bardstown with the new Heaven Hill Springs distillery. The system is broad rather than narrow — bourbon, wheated bourbon, rye, wheat, corn and malt whiskey, single-barrel and barrel-proof — and it bottles more Bottled-in-Bond than any other American distiller. It remains Shapira family-owned.
THE HEAVEN HILL RANGE
One house, every American style.
Bourbon to wheat to rye — and more Bottled-in-Bond than anyone.
Evan Williams Black Label
FLAGSHIPvalue bourbon · 86 proof
Caramel, vanilla and corn sweetness — the value flagship.
COMING SOON
Elijah Craig Small Batch
small batch bourbon · 94 proof
Oak, brown sugar and baking spice — the Heaven Hill house profile.
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year
BiB bourbon · 100 proof · 7 yr
Structured, spicy and brown-sugared — the namesake bottle.
Larceny Small Batch
wheated bourbon · 92 proof
Softer wheat sweetness — honey, bread and vanilla.
COMING SOON
Rittenhouse Rye
Bottled-in-Bond rye · 100 proof
The benchmark cocktail rye — spice, maple and pepper.
Bernheim Original
wheat whiskey · 90 proof
Soft grain, honey and vanilla — a rare wheat-forward style.
COMING SOON
HEAVEN HILL BOTTLES · REVIEWED & RANKED
The bottles.
SCORED / 100 · US PRICES CHECKED JULY 2026
| Rank | Bottle | Note | Score | Price | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Elijah Craig Barrel Proofusa / heaven-hill / bourbon / elijah-craig-barrel-proof | Cult barrel-proof bourbon — rich, oaky and high-proof; score varies by batch. | 92SCORE | $70 | READ REVIEW → |
| 02 | Larceny Barrel Proofwheated bourbon · barrel proof | Wheated bourbon at full proof — honeyed and big; batch-specific. | 92SCORE | $73 | COMING SOON |
| 03 | Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Yearusa / heaven-hill / bourbon / heaven-hill-bib-7 | The namesake bottle — structured, spicy, brown-sugar Bottled-in-Bond. | 88SCORE | $47 | READ REVIEW → |
| 04 | Elijah Craig 18 Yearusa / heaven-hill / bourbon / elijah-craig-18 | 18-year single-barrel bourbon — old, oaky and refined. | 91SCORE | $174 | READ REVIEW → |
| 05 | Pikesville Straight Ryerye · Bottled-in-Bond | Premium Bottled-in-Bond rye — bold, spicy and polished. | 91SCORE | $48 | COMING SOON |
| 06 | Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrelbourbon · 10 yr single barrel BiB | 10-year single-barrel Bottled-in-Bond — a former Best-in-Show name. | 90SCORE | $67 | COMING SOON |
| 07 | Rittenhouse Ryeusa / heaven-hill / rye / rittenhouse-rye | The benchmark 100-proof Bottled-in-Bond cocktail rye. | 88SCORE | $27 | READ REVIEW → |
| 08 | Elijah Craig Small Batchusa / heaven-hill / bourbon / elijah-craig-small-batch | High-value Kentucky small batch — oak, brown sugar and spice. | 88SCORE | $26 | READ REVIEW → |
HEAVEN HILL — THE STORY
Fire, family, and Bottled-in-Bond.
Heaven Hill began in Bardstown after Prohibition, when the five Shapira brothers joined local investors to build the Old Heaven Hill Springs distillery. The first barrels were filled on December 13, 1935, and by 1937 the Shapiras had bought out their partners — making it the family-controlled whiskey house it remains today.
Continuity was nearly broken on November 7, 1996, when a fire destroyed the Bardstown distillery and seven rickhouses. Heaven Hill survived by distilling through industry partners, saving its 1935 yeast strain, and buying the Bernheim distillery in Louisville from United Distillers in 1999. In 2025 it returned distilling to Bardstown with the new Heaven Hill Springs distillery.
One myth, corrected: "Elijah Craig, Father of Bourbon" is brand lore, not settled history. Craig was a real preacher-distiller, but the claim that he invented bourbon or charred-barrel aging is disputed.
Answered by Everett Boone · The American Seat
Who owns Heaven Hill?
The Shapira family, through Heaven Hill Brands. They've controlled the company since buying out the original partners in 1937, and no 2025–26 ownership sale was found — it's one of the last major family-owned American distillers.
Is Heaven Hill actually distilled in Bardstown?
Partly, again. Since 1999 the Bernheim distillery in Louisville has been the production backbone; the new Heaven Hill Springs distillery opened in Bardstown in 2025, returning distillation to Bardstown while Bernheim stays active.
Which bottle should I buy first?
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond 7 Year (~$47) for the namesake house style, or Elijah Craig Small Batch (~$27) for the easy everyday buy.
Can you visit?
Yes — the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience in Bardstown and the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Louisville's Whiskey Row both offer tours and tastings; check current schedules.
Can we send you our whiskey?
Yes — and it's the only way to earn a Superior Rating. Distilleries are welcome to send bottles for the full panel: two per expression, one decanted into blind samples for the three of us, one sealed on file. All three seats taste it blind and the scores are averaged. Sending buys three honest opinions and nothing else — nobody sees a score before publication.