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O ne would be forgiven for being unaware the iconic brands of Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Old Fitzgerald and Rittenhouse Rye are all made by the same family-owned company: Heaven Hill.
The foundation of distilling in Kentucky is a convoluted web of names, locations and brands that change hands, merge, switch counties or states, or maybe move “just a little down the road a ways.” Truly understanding most large distillery backgrounds nearly requires a history degree, but one distillery generally bucks this trend. The story of Heaven Hill compared to other distilleries predating World War II is as forthright as bourbon gets.
Less than a year after Repeal Day marked the end of Prohibition, Heaven Hill began taking shape. A group of investors, including the five Shapira brothers – Mose, George, Gary, Ed and David – set out to create a new distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Shapiras were respected local business-owners who probably had zero idea they’d started what would become the largest privately held whiskey distillery in the world. The brothers partnered with the legendary Beam family to make the whiskey, and together in December 1935 the first barrels of Heaven Hill were barreled at what was then Old Heavenhill Springs distillery.
Shortly thereafter, the Shapiras’ initial business partners asked for a buyout, and the family decided to take on the risk – one that proved to pay off with a little patience. In the words of Max Shapira, son of Ed Shapira: “When you’re in the business of making products that you can’t sell for four years or longer, it takes patience and perseverance. Fortunately, my dad and uncles had their retail stores for income, so they could afford to wait.”
“When you’re in the business of making products that you can’t sell for four years or longer, it takes patience and perseverance.”
Still working with the Beam family, in 1939 the family released what quickly became a best-selling bourbon in Kentucky, Old Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond. After a brief lapse in production to help with the war effort, Heaven Hill began its ever-persistent climb to becoming a titan of the spirits industry. First in 1957, one of the most iconic whiskey brands in the world was released, Evan Williams, while in the 1970s Heaven Hill completed its first acquisition, diversifying beyond whiskey.
Famously, in 1996, Heaven Hill experienced a devasting fire caused by a lightning strike that destroyed the distillery building and seven warehouses containing millions of gallons of whiskey. The fire was so intense that a stream of whiskey from broken barrels went up in flames, creating an otherworldly “burning river” that flowed into a nearby creek. In a show of industry solidarity, Heaven Hill’s competitors in Kentucky stepped in to help them weather the storm on handshake deals. The distillery and its employees showed remarkable resilience as no lives were lost and bottling production resumed the next day.
Today, a new era is upon us with the grand opening of a second distilling location in early September 2025, Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. The $200 million distillery features a 60-foot Vendome copper still with state-of-the-art efficiency that increases production and lowers footprint. The facility begins operations with a 150,000-barrel-per-year capacity, scalabile up to 450,000 barrels a year.
It seems the Shapira’s are still just getting started, as the added capacity will allow for more creativity and experimenting.
Heaven Hill Brands possess such an immense portfolio that highlighting them all would require a book. Yet as perhaps the most famous brand ambassador in all the world, Bernie Lubbers, will gleefully tell you, both Evan Williams and Elijah Craig were pioneers of American distilling during the 1780s. And both now have namesake brands that are best-sellers across the globe.
Elijah Craig and Evan Williams have multiple releases in their lineups, including the coveted Elijah Craig 22 Year Old & Evan Williams 23 Year Old, yet Heaven Hill’s value in the secondary market is mostly held by the Old Fitzgerald, William Heavenhill, Parker’s Heritage and age-stated Rittenhouse Rye lineups.
Old Fitzgerald is one of the oldest, most sure-fire brands one could invest in, although bottles of the most significant value were distilled at Stitzel-Weller, which ceased distilling operations in 1992. Unlike Elijah Craig and Evan Williams, the origins of both Old Fitzgerald and Rittenhouse Rye began at other distilleries before their acquisition by Heaven Hill in the 1990s. Rittenhouse Rye boasts some of the only rye ever produced exceeding 20 years in age, while Old Fitzgerald has become a flagship brand released in beautiful decanter bottles, with both modern Heaven Hill releases commanding over $2,000 at auction.
Two other lineups to watch are the Parker’s Heritage Collection, an annual release originating in 2007 named after former Master Distiller Parker Beam, and Heaven Hill’s most valuable bottlings, the William Heavenhill series, named for the owner of the acreage when the distillery began operations in 1935.
Heaven Hill Brands’ vast portfolio expands to distilleries beyond Kentucky’s borders (and America’s), making the full-scale size of the family-owned business boggle the mind. Yet the products with acclaim on the secondary market all come from the Bluegrass State.
William Heavenhill releases of note include Heaven Hill William Heavenhill Signature Anniversary 2nd Edition that sold for $15,000 at Sotheby’s, as well as Heaven Hill William Heavenhill Signature Anniversary First Edition that sold for $10,000. Famous for the Elijah Craig 18 Year Old and Elijah Craig 23 Year Old brands, the much less common Elijah Craig Single Barrel 22 Year Old has sold for over $3,000 and export releases such as Old Heaven Hill 28 Year Old 100 Proof and Old Heaven Hill Ultra Premium 21 Year Old sell for over $5,000. Lastly, The Parker’s Heritage Collection is currently on its 19th Edition with each release being unique and made differently, whether that be from the mash bill, age-statement, barreling process or proof style.
Heaven Hill is one of the few brands that can genuinely say they’re the envy of the industry. Family-owned and famous for weathering the storm, Heaven Hill Brands find itself immaculately positioned to continue making bourbon that is revered from Kentucky to Japan to Germany.
As a global leader in bringing Heaven Hill to auction, Sotheby’s trusted team is on hand to support you on your collecting journey. Having sold many of the most expensive Heaven Hill examples to come to market, Sotheby’s is ideally placed to advise on collecting Heaven Hill whiskey.
Trust our worldwide network of leading whiskey specialists from a globally renowned auction house with a 280-year history.
