HEAVEN HILL
Heaven Hill is a family-owned Kentucky distillery in Bardstown, founded by the Shapira family in 1935 and still run by them — the largest family-owned and -operated distillery in America. Its whisky was shaped for generations by the Beam distilling family and survived a devastating 1996 fire. This page is the gateway to the whole Heaven Hill portfolio — Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Larceny, Henry McKenna, Rittenhouse and more — across bourbon, wheated bourbon and rye.
- Founded in Bardstown, Kentucky, in 1935 — the first barrel filled December 13 — by the five Shapira brothers, just after Prohibition's repeal.
- Named for William Heavenhill, a former owner of the distillery site.
- Whisky production was led for generations by the Beam family, beginning with Joseph L. Beam — a cousin of Jim Beam — and continuing through Parker and Craig Beam.
- A fire on November 7, 1996 destroyed the original distillery, seven warehouses and tens of thousands of barrels — but the company's yeast strain survived.
- Distilling moved to the historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, purchased in 1999, while aging and bottling stayed in Bardstown.
- In 2025 Heaven Hill completed a new distillery in Bardstown — Heaven Hill Springs — bringing distilling home.
- Master distiller Conor O'Driscoll leads production today; the Shapira family still owns and runs the company.
In an industry now dominated by global conglomerates, Heaven Hill remains the largest family-owned and -operated distillery in America. The Shapira brothers founded it in 1935 with no brands and no inventory of their own, bought out their partners within two years, and built one of the largest stocks of aging bourbon in the world. Generations later the family still runs the company from Bardstown, the self-styled Bourbon Capital of the World.
For most of its history, Heaven Hill's whisky was made by the Beam family. Joseph L. Beam, a cousin of Jim Beam, was the first master distiller; the role passed down through Earl, Parker and Craig Beam, with Parker lending his name to the annual Parker's Heritage Collection. That continuity — including a proprietary yeast strain kept alive for decades — is the thread behind the house's nutty, caramel-forward style. Conor O'Driscoll became the seventh master distiller in 2019.
The Portfolio, by Style
The Heaven Hill range. Individual bottles are listed below; we link each as it reaches the vault:
| Bourbon | |
| Evan Williams | The flagship Kentucky straight bourbon |
| Elijah Craig | Small batch & barrel proof |
| Henry McKenna Single Barrel | Bottled-in-Bond · 10-year |
| Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond | The distillery's namesake bourbon |
| Wheated Bourbon | |
| Larceny | Wheated · including Barrel Proof |
| Old Fitzgerald | Wheated · Bottled-in-Bond decanters |
| Rye | |
| Rittenhouse Rye | Bottled-in-Bond |
| Pikesville Rye | Higher-proof straight rye |
| Wheat, Specialty & Annual | |
| Bernheim Original | Kentucky straight wheat whisky |
| Parker's Heritage Collection | Annual · age-stated |
| Heaven Hill Heritage Collection | Annual · age-stated |
| Mellow Corn | Bottled-in-Bond corn whisky |
Browse more by style — the full bourbon collection and rye collection.
Collector Note
Heaven Hill spans the whole range of American whisky collecting, from everyday bottles to some of the most sought-after releases in the category. Henry McKenna 10-Year, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, the Old Fitzgerald decanters, Parker's Heritage and the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection are allocated and trade well above retail, while single-barrel store picks have a devoted following. Because so much of the range is batch- or barrel-specific, the exact release, proof and condition all matter.
Production Methodology
Heaven Hill distills from a handful of recipes — a standard bourbon mash, a wheated bourbon mash that swaps wheat for rye, and a rye mash — using a proprietary yeast strain it has guarded for decades. Since 1999 distilling has been centered at the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, joined in 2025 by the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown, while the whisky ages and is bottled at the Bardstown campus. The same recipes, aged for different lengths and bottled at different strengths, become the distillery's many brands. Exact mash bills, proofs and ages vary by bottle and are confirmed on each product page.
Authentication & Vault Preservation
Every Heaven Hill bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authorized, authentic retailer, vault-stored and insured, shipped with protective handling and age-verified 21-and-over signature on delivery, and authenticated by our concierge before it ships. For the details, see how we authenticate every bottle, the vault and concierge service, and our sourcing FAQ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Heaven Hill?
Heaven Hill is a family-owned Kentucky distillery in Bardstown, founded by the Shapira family in 1935 and still run by them today — the largest family-owned and -operated distillery in America. Its whisky was made for generations by the Beam family, beginning with Joseph L. Beam, and is led today by master distiller Conor O'Driscoll. After a 1996 fire destroyed the original distillery, Heaven Hill moved distilling to the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville and, in 2025, returned distilling to Bardstown with the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery.
Which brands does Heaven Hill make?
Heaven Hill makes many well-known names in American whisky. Its bourbons include the flagship Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna and the Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond; its wheated bourbons are Larceny and Old Fitzgerald; and its ryes are Rittenhouse and Pikesville. The distillery also makes Bernheim wheat whisky and releases age-stated, allocated whisky each year through the Parker's Heritage Collection and the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection.
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