Heaven Hill toasts distillery’s 90th anniversary with specially aged bourbon
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- Heaven Hill releases 9-year blended bourbon from 204 selected barrels at 107 proof.
- Blend uses 78% corn mashbill, 30% heavy-char aged bourbon to deepen flavors.
- Limited nationwide release priced $124.99, celebrates Heaven Hill’s 90 years.
Heaven Hill in Bardstown is celebrating its 90th anniversary with a special release: Heaven Hill Distillery’s 90th Anniversary 9-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
It’s made from the distillery’s traditional bourbon mashbill — 78% corn, 12% malted barley and 10% rye — but in a blend of two batches aged differently. According to the news release, 70% was traditionally aged while the rest was aged in heavy “alligator char” barrels for deeper flavor.
In all, 204 barrels were selected for the release, which was produced on Dec. 13, 2015, Heaven Hill’s 80th anniversary. It was then matured for nine years and eight months in rickhouses G and H on the fourth and sixth floors before being blended and bottled at 107 proof.
The resulting bourbon is “deeply complex” with “rich notes of caramel, vanilla, toasted spice and oak warmth,” according to the release.
“As we celebrate Heaven Hill’s 90th anniversary, I’m reminded of the vision my father and his brothers had when they founded this company in 1935,” said Max L. Shapira, Heaven Hill executive chairman, in a statement. “Their goal was simple but profound, to build a family business that would craft whiskey with integrity, patience, and pride.
“Nine decades later, we continue that mission with the same independent spirit, passion for quality, and respect for tradition that has guided us from the start,” Shapira said. “This 90th Anniversary release is both a reflection of our history and a toast to our future.”
Heaven Hill master distiller Conor O’Driscoll said the release is special “because it captures nearly a decade of patient aging and our team’s thoughtful approach to barrel selection. By incorporating bourbon aged in heavy char barrels, we’ve deepened the flavor profile and created a whiskey with exceptional richness and balance. The result is a spirit that embodies the craftsmanship and character that have defined Heaven Hill for 90 years.”
The bourbon is available nationwide in limited quantities now, with a suggested retail price of $124.99.
Earlier this year, Heaven Hill and the Shapira family celebrated the opening of a new $200 million bourbon distillery in Bardstown.
Heaven Hill is the largest privately held spirits company in the world and the high-profile return to its home city, where their main distillery and almost 100,000 barrels of whiskey were destroyed by fire in 1996, indicates a renewed commitment to the business at a time of widespread economic hardship in the U.S. and in export markets.
