Heaven Hill, one of Kentucky’s leading bourbon distillers, broke ground Monday on a new facility in Bardstown, the center of the state’s spirits industry.
Heaven Hill is returning to its roots in Nelson County, after a 1996 fire forced the distilling operations to move to Louisville.
The company is investing $135 million dollars in a new distillery in Bardstown that will create 38 full-time jobs.
The new distilling operation will be located on 61 acres and be named Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. The facility is expected to produce 150,000 barrels of whiskey annually.
Heaven Hill was forced to move its distilling operation after a 1996 fire that totally destroyed the distillery, 100,000 barrels of whiskey and seven rickhouses, the structures designed for storing and aging distilled spirits.
Since 1999, Heaven Hill bourbon and spirits have been distilled at Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, while bottling, aging and other functions remained in Nelson County.
The new distillery in Bardstown is expected to open in 2024.
Heaven Hill has been headquartered in Bardstown since 1935. The company has nearly two million barrels of whiskey aging in more than 60 warehouses in Nelson and Jefferson Counties.
