Production places
Connections to water sources, peat places, maltings, cooperages, warehouses and maturation sites. Uncertain connections are labelled.
No documented production places are linked to this distillery yet.
Bernheim Distillery
Short overview of the distillery
Bernheim Distillery is located in Louisville, Kentucky, and is an active part of the Heaven Hill family. The facility is characterized by relatively small production buildings and extensive warehouses, and has operated in its current form since 1992. The distillery produces both wheat bourbon and rye bourbon and is the production site for well-known labels such as I. W. Harper, Old Charter, Elijah Craig, and President's Reserve.
History
The new Bernheim Distillery opened in 1992 and has since been centered around large warehouses, which often shape the facility's character. Over time, the site has developed as an important production site for Heaven Hill, and in 2017 the ownership group announced an investment of $25 million to expand capacity. The expansion included new fermenters, a still, and a distillation unit with a thumper and a column, as well as upgrades to the aging and operations systems. The investment was intended to make Bernheim the largest single-site bourbon distillery in the United States and to increase capacity to around 400,000 barrels per year. In connection with the expansion, a specially signed commemorative cask was filled and signed by employees and locals, while Heaven Hill donated $100,000 to the Dare to Care organization.
Raw materials and production
Bernheim produces bourbon in two fundamentally different grain compositions: wheat bourbon and rye bourbon. The facility is described as a “single-site” operation, where all production steps are carried out in one place, and the 2017 expansion plans mentioned the installation of four new fermenters, a still, and a distillation setup consisting of a column still and a thumper. These elements point to an industrial bourbon production with column distillation as the central method and a scaled fermentation and still capacity to meet increased demand. The storage space is a prominent feature of the site, and Heaven Hill collectively controls substantial aging stock distributed across multiple sites.
Maturation and barrel types
The facility is dominated by large warehouses, and the 2017 expansion plans also included upgrades to warehouse management. The article notes, in this context, an expected increase in annual production, and that Heaven Hill holds large quantities of inventory spread across multiple sites. A specially signed commemorative cask was filled in connection with the expansion.
Whiskeyes
Bernheim provides production capacity for several established bourbon names. Among the names produced at the facility are I. W. Harper, Old Charter, Elijah Craig, and President's Reserve. The text describes President's Reserve as probably Bernheim's best bourbon, while I. W. Harper is described as a widespread and well-known whiskey from the distillery. Overall, the description points to a range centered on classic bourbons rather than experimental single-malt types.
| Whiskey | Type / Series | Flavor profile |
|---|---|---|
| I. W. Harper | Bourbon | I. W. Harper is mentioned as one of the well-known whiskey names produced at the Bernheim Distillery. |
| Old Charter | Bourbon | Old Charter is noted as one of the less well-known bourbon names produced at the facility. |
| President's Reserve | Bourbon | President's Reserve is described as probably Bernheim's best bourbon. |
| Elijah Craig | Bourbon | Elijah Craig is mentioned among the whiskey labels produced at the Bernheim facility. |
Whiskey style and flavor profile
Average tasting notes associated with the distillery's products indicate a classic bourbon profile with sweetness and pronounced notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak. There are also frequent descriptions of spicy facets and fruity nuances, which, overall, sketch a pattern typical of many bourbon expressions from the site.
Visit the distillery
The visiting address for the distillery is listed as Heaven Hill Bernheim Distillery, 1701 W Breckinridge St, Louisville, KY 40210, United States. There is no further information about opening hours, tours, or bookings on the cited pages.
Latest news
Heaven Hill Makes Bernheim Distillery the Biggest US Bourbon Distillery – 2017-10-19
Heaven Hill announced in October 2017 an investment of $25 million to expand the Bernheim Distillery with additional fermenters, a still, and a distillation setup with a thumper and column, as well as upgraded warehouse management. The goal was to make Bernheim the largest single-site bourbon distillery in the United States and reach production of around 400,000 barrels per year. In connection with the expansion, a signed commemorative cask was filled, and the company donated $100,000 to the Dare to Care organization.