The team at Bourbon Lore® could not be more excited about teaming up with Heaven Hill to
present our fall Champions Experience in Louisville in October.
Heaven Hill is one of the nation’s premier distilleries, making whiskey since its founding in 1935.
It has always been a family affair: The five Shapira brothers, who started and owned the
business, passed it along to Max Shapira, the current executive chairman, who in turn is
handing over the reins to the next generation. Private ownership allows Heave Hill to do
whiskey right, no expenses spared, without having to report to shareholders.
During the Bourbon Bust of the 1980s, Max found new markets for old bourbon, especially
Japan. Some of the most legendary bottles of American whiskey today were originally shipped
to the Japanese market some 40 years ago, and only slowly made their way back to the United
States via collectors. We’re lucky to have several of them in the Bourbon Lore® collection!
Fans of Heaven Hill, or of American whiskey – or of just having a great time – won’t want to
miss our fall Champions Experience, a two-day affair that will take guests behind the scenes at
one of the world’s premier distilleries.
Guests will stay at the chic Myriad Hotel, a new boutique property in the trendy Highlands
neighborhood in Louisville. After a cocktail reception at the hotel, we’ll head to Heaven Hill’s
Evan Williams Experience downtown, where over dinner and music we’ll meet Conor O’Driscoll,
the distillery’s master distiller, and taste through some of Heaven Hill’s choicest vintage
whiskey.
The next morning we’ll head to Heaven Hill’s Bernheim Distillery, in west Louisville. It’s off-limits
to the public, but Conor and his team have agreed to let us peek behind the curtains. He and
Bernie Lubbers, Heaven Hill’s historian, will lead us on an exclusive tour of the facility, including
tasting whiskey straight from the barrel.
We’ll then head south to the Heaven Hill visitors center in Bardstown, where Ed Lee, a James
Beard Award-winning chef, will present a three-course private meal. Guests will enjoy Chef
Lee’s unique cuisine while listening to none other than Max Shapira himself talk about the
history and legacy of his distillery. After lunch we’ll walk over to a warehouse, where Conor will
walk us through a blending exercise to show how Heaven Hill makes its finest bourbons and
ryes.
Following a quick stop back at the hotel to freshen up, we’ll travel out to Hermitage Farm, one of
Kentucky’s premier horse breeders, set among the rolling hills of northern Kentucky. We’ll meet
the breeding team, then enjoy cocktails beside one of the barns. After another sumptuous
dinner, we’ll enjoy an intimate concert with the farm as a backdrop – a perfect ending to a
perfect day.
