Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience

Disclosure: This was a very brief stop to just hit the gift shop. As there are tastings and tours, I'll be back at a later date to spend most of a day doing everything there is to do. Also, it's very cool to drive in and see the rickhouses off to the left and the actual distillery & warehouse on the right. With that being said, the exhibits they've got when you come in are pretty neat. And the gift shop is pretty wide-ranging in goods. I was able to snag a bottle of Larceny gold mustard, an Elijah Craig apple cider vinegar, and some barrel aged honey. I was also able to get a bottle of the Heaven Hill select stock Armagnac finished bourbon. Between those goodies and a shirt, I was quite pleased with the stop.

The new addition to Heaven Hill is quite impressive. It is filled with history of bourbon in Kentucky, and has a museum - level depth and sophistication to the information and the presentation.There is also a restaurant and outdoor patio on the second floor, which I assume is accessible but we did not stop for food or drinks and so did not look for an elevator.The gift shop was relocated to the hallway of the original building and is extensive in real estate and the scope of its offerings. You can get several hard to find bottles in the shop and I grabbed a Henry McKenna and two Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbons. The single barrel, now at $50 in the shop, is no longer the steal it once was but it is no longer available outside of Kentucky. I'll always have memories of a $25 retail price, I suppose.The old gift shop is now a series of tasting rooms / tour experiences. This is where the fancy pants tastings of high-end bourbons occurs, and it remains a top notch experience, consisting of 4 bourbons, one 18 years old, and Pikesville Rye.Definitely worthy of a visit on the Bourbon Trail.

We had heard great things about Heaven Hill's You Do Bourbon experience which is not so much a tour and more of an interactive tasting and session about the distillery which ends in the option to bottle and personalize your own.Our docent was very knowledgeable and fun. She was engaging with everyone and I'm very curious about her life stories as her grandfather was a moonshiner.The tasting consisted of 4 different barrel proof products that Heaven Hill offers specifically for this experience so these selections are not available for purchase outside of it, to my knowledge. My wife chose the Larceny Barrel Proof and I chose the Select Stock Barrel Proof. Keep in mind that the pricing of the bottles are different and are in addition to the cost of the experience. Another way someone put it was that you are paying a fee to be able to purchase a special bottle. The bottling was neat and fun and we even got to take a look at the lab after for some fun little activities.Heaven Hill was a great experience and next time we come back, we'll have to try the restaurant that's upstairs. I missed out on their somewhat daily release so that's something to look out for as well.

This was my first bourbon tasting experience and I actually really enjoyed it (which is saying a lot from someone who doesn't typically like bourbon, but got roped in by my SO who loves it!). The facility itself is well organized, modern, and clean. We took the Whiskey Connoisseur tasting, which starts with a short video about bourbon and moves onto 5 tastings and a small chocolate pairing. Again- I'm not a huge bourbon drinker, but I had fun trying these unique tastings side-by-side! Our guide was also incredibly informative, and he shared so many interesting facts and knowledge that made the experience more engaging.You could probably spend at least 2-3 hours here, taking tours, wandering the museum, checking out the gift shop, and stopping by the Five Brothers Bar area. If we had booked earlier, we would've loved to experience the warehouse tour or the bottle-your-own.

Another great Bourbon tasting and tour on this trip. Actually, this was the first on the trip, but the last reviewed for some reason. As I mentioned, I definitely wouldn't call myself a Bourbon expert or even a novice . . . . but I'm working on it. In fact, I'd never even heard of Bottled-in-Bond before this tour and now I just feel bad for all those government tax assessors who were probably very happy living at distilleries until one day their Jobs got computerized. (Maybe I missed something there . . . . after all, I was drinking Bourbon. It's definitely a must stop in Bardstown. Fun tour, great Bourbon/whiskey, and a beautiful setting. I can't wait to open and share the bottles I purchased there. One hadn't even beer release yet. Maybe by now, though.

Went to Heaven Hill for a tour and tasting. While I enjoyed the experience, I was disappointed that there was no exposure to the mash tanks, still, barreling, or bottling. This is in great contrast to many of the other tours in the area. Just be aware that these stages of the process are not performed at this location.

This was the only distillery to acknowledge hubby's birthday even though I put down the reason for our trip on all the reservations. James gave a great presentation and the distillery is gorgeous. We like cocktails with Elijah Craig, but straight it was quite strong for us. It felt like I should've started drinking bourbon and whiskey as a youngster and since that's not the case by palette couldn't handle it.

The Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience was NOT what I expected and, frankly, was a little disappointing. I've been on 6 or 7 disterilly tours and all of them to date have shown how bourbon is made; some showed how it's bottled; some show the process from start to finish. And, all had some sort of "tasting" at the end of the tour.The Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience DOES NOT show any of the production and has very little (other than some static exhibits) that explain the process of making bourbon. The Heaven Hill Bourbon Expereince is all about the tasting. There are FOUR different experiences - 3 are centered PRIMARILY around 3 different tastings, inclding one that allows you to "bottle your own". The fourth includes a walking tour of 2 rick houses - coupled with tastings. No bourdon is produced on site although they do all of their bottling here (no tours or visuals). Production is done at a facility about 2 or 3 miles outside Bardstown but there are no tours or visitors allowed at that location.Interesting side note - Heaven Hill owns Evan Williams. The Evan Williams disterilly in downtown Louisville DOES show w bourbon is made. So, if you want the "tasting experience" - go to the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience. If you want to see how bourbon is made and to learn about the history of bourbon and the distilling process - go to the Evan WIlliams site in downtown Louisville.

Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience is a MUST if you are in Bardstown, KY. Amazing experience and top notch. Plenty of bourbon and souvenirs to buy not just bottles but food like BBQ sauces , ice cream, clothing, and unique items not found in the local liquors stores. Tours are available too. You will find excellent service and very friendly. Highly recommended.

Whisky Business Founded in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery has been producing some world-class Bourbon County, Kentucky straight bourbon whisky now for nearly 100 years. They sell their whiskies under a myriad of labels, including Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Larceny, Rittenhouse, and a few others.While their distillery** is no longer located here at this Bardstown location, due to a fire, all the aging, bottling, and shipping operations happen here. This is also where one comes to tour their facilities and sample some world-class spirits.The Good:*The grounds are beautiful and emaculate. Even if you're not into bourbon, this place will definitely drawer you in just with its look. *Staff were all very friendly and welcoming. *There's a bar (Five Brothers Bar) upstairs to go get some cocktails, flights, and straight pours of a large variety of whiskies. *Large gift shop with anything and everything whisky, from bottles that are only sold here to all kinds of Bourbon paraphernalia. They even have bourbon ice creams! :-P*Small, interactive museum telling about the history of Heaven Hill. *A variety of tours that include tastings, tours of the rickhouses (places they age the barrels), and even a bottle your own bottle tour. I chose the latter ("You Do Bourbon"), and it was a fun experience learning about the making of their bourbons, and this type included a small tasting of their barrel-proof offerings. The Meh:*Considering it didn't come with the bottle, $40 is a bit much for the tour. Altho, it did seem everyone did buy a bottle (±$80-150/ea) because otherwise, what's the point?? It's almost like they're charging you for the privilege to purchase a barrel-proof bottle before socking it to you again. Plus, you can only get one bottle per person, and luckily, Carissa's son was 21, so I wrangled him into the tasting so I could get two bootles. #BorrachoThe Ugly:*Aforementioned bar closes at 5 p.m.--with last call at 4:30 p.m.?! What the what?? 0_o I wish I knew that ahead of time and I could've visited there first! By the time my tour let out, it was too late. #BorrachoTLDR: I really should've booked two tours: a tour of the rickhouses and the "You Do Bourbon" tour so that I could've had a more complete experience here at Heaven Hill. Maybe in the future, they can do a combo tour for one "low" price?**They are in the process of rebuilding the original distillery. I believe it's set to open re-open at some point in 2024? But I'm not 100% on that.