Bourbon, Booze News Heather C. Watson Bourbon, Booze News Heather C. Watson

Heaven Hill Springs Distillery Groundbreaking

Heaven Hill’s new Bardstown distillery pays tribute to the company’s history and promises innovation.

 
 

Earlier today, Heaven Hill Distillery President Max Shapira led a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of construction on the new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in Bardstown. The event, which included remarks by Kentucky governor Andy Beshear and Heaven Hill Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll, paid tribute to Heaven Hill’s rich history while looking toward an innovative and ecologically-sound future. The new distillery is slated to open in 2024.

 
Heaven Hill Distillery Groundbreaking, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Master Distiller Conor O'Driscoll, Heaven Hill President Max Shapira
 

Governor Beshear jokingly said of the $135 million facility, “I’m pretty certain it is the Hogwarts of Bourbon.” Heaven Hill Springs Distillery has been engineered to minimize water use to below industry benchmarks and reuse certain water streams. The site will use native plants and natural systems to manage stormwater runoff and improve habitat on the property. The distillery will include a wastewater pretreatment system to ensure discharged water exceeds environmental standards and greatly reduces the load on the city’s treatment plant. Heaven Hill also will plan to utilize energy creation and recovery, lessening the distillery’s demand on the city’s electrical grid.

The distillery’s name is a nod to the Shapira family-owned company’s original facility, Old Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. This facility was founded in Bardstown by the five Shapira brothers (one of whom, Ed, was the father of Max Shapira) in 1935; the first barrel was filled on Friday, December 13th of that year.

 
 

Modern bourbon lovers will, of course, recall that Old Heaven Hill Springs distillery was destroyed by fire in 1996. After the fire, Heaven Hill moved distilling to the historic Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, while retaining bottling and aging processes in Bardstown. The new distillery will add at minimum 38 jobs to the 381 people already working in Heaven Hill’s bottling, aging and tourism roles in Bardstown alone. Max Shapira noted that the addition of a second Heaven Hill distillery indicates a belief in the long-term economic growth potential for bourbon. “I don’t have to state it, but we are bullish on bourbon,” Shapira proclaimed to a crowd that included state and local politicians, tourism industry workers and media. “Not just in the short- or medium- term, but we are bullish for the long-term market.” Shapira went on to recognize event attendees who were Heaven Hill employees at the time of the 1996 fire.

 
A green and white flower arrangement in a 5 Brothers Bourbon bottle serves as a centerpiece at the Heaven Hill Springs Distillery Groundbreaking in Bardstown, KY
 

Cheers to Heaven Hill for recognizing their rich history while planning for a dynamic future!

 
 
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Bourbon, Keeneland, Booze News Heather C. Watson Bourbon, Keeneland, Booze News Heather C. Watson

Booze News: Maker's Mark Keeneland Bottle

 
2022 Maker's Mark Keeneland Commemorative Bourbon Bottles
 

The 2022 Maker’s Mark Keeneland commemorative bottles are here!

This year's gorgeous collectable bottles feature one of three distinct label designs depicting scenes of Thoroughbred racing. The bottles feature the work of artists Sandra Oppegard, Andre Pater or Tyler Robertson. This year’s bottles will benefit Horse Mania, the public art initiative of LexArts, greater Lexington’s premier cultural development, advocacy and fundraising organization.

 
 

Each bottle is signed by the artist who created the design, along with Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin, Maker’s Mark Eighth Generation Whisky Maker & Managing Director Rob Samuels and one of three of the winningest female riders in Keeneland history: Julie Krone, Rosie Napravnik and Donna Barton Brothers.

 
 

“Keeneland is committed to supporting public art exhibits like Horse Mania, which have coincided with some of the major equestrian events at the racetrack and in our community and celebrate the vibrant cultural importance of our sport to the Commonwealth and the international stage,” Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said in a press release issued today. “We are excited to continue our longstanding collaboration with Maker’s Mark in support of LexArts.”

 
 

“At Maker’s Mark, we share LexArts’ commitment to celebrating and encouraging public art, such as those at our distillery in Loretto,” said Eighth Generation Whisky Maker & Managing Director Rob Samuels via press release. “I’m proud our long partnership with Keeneland allows us to support the popular Horse Mania in such a meaningful way.”

 
Keeneland 2022 Commemorative Maker's Mark Bottles
 

The three bottles will go on sale Friday, April 8, opening day of Keeneland’s 2022 Spring Meet. Bottles will be available at Lexington-area Liquor Barn Stores.

(Photos courtesy Maker’s Mark)

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