Our final tour was at Heaven Hill. We had read that the distillery is one of the few that is still family owned. The Shapira family started it in 1934 and continues to run the distillery today. They just opened a museum that tells the story of the family as well as some of their more famous labels like Elijah Craig and Evan Williams. I also read in the Kentucky vacation newsletter that Heaven Hill is considered a very LGBT friendly distillery which was primarily why we chose this visit. What matters to us is that they make their LGBT employees feel like they can be themselves.
The Shapira family is Jewish. At one time, Jewish businessmen owned one quarter of all Kentucky distilleries despite being only a small percentage of the population of the Louisville area. But it was rare for them to put their names on the label, choosing to market more “American sounding names.” Bernheim is one of the few brands that does, and it is now owned by Heaven Hill. One other nod to their ancestry is that the tasting bar ceiling supports at Heaven Hill are built in the shape of the Star of David.
After a major fire destroyed the distillery and many of the rickhouses at Heaven Hill, they purchased the Bernheim Distillery which is located in Louisville and that is now where they distill the whiskey for all their brands. Heaven Hill, which is named after the original farm on this property is now home to their visitor’s center and the site of the majority of the rickhouses that store all their bourbon. This tour focused on the storage and not the actual distillation process.
Heaven Hill’s most iconic brands are Elijah Craig and Evan Williams. Their museum tells a story about how bourbon was invented by Baptist preacher, Elijah Craig. It is quite a story but according to most historians, the stories about Craig and about the accidentally charred barrels as a result of a fire are likely fairy tales. The first mention of a charred oak barrel was in a Lexington paper in 1826. By 1821, the term bourbon was in use and was likely based on the county where a lot of the whiskey was being made. Elijah Craig is a real person, but the actual brand was created in 1986. The rise of bourbon was almost certainly the result of numerous nameless farmer distillers, but everyone loves a hero.
The black bourbon shirts you see us wearing are from our Missouri Whiskey Society membership. I have learned a lot at the monthly meetings over the years. Another good resource is the excellent book by Reid Mitenbuler called “Bourbon Empire. So stay tuned for a bit more bourbon history because it is truly the history of America.
We thought the museum was impressive and liked the tasting room, but since we couldn't see the operation, it wasn't our favorite bourbon stop many years ago. But I LOVED their bourbon balls.