Grain to
Glass
FAMILY, QUALITY, CRAFT
Since 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery has focused on the importance of both family and creating quality Whiskeys. We believe that quality Whiskeys come from quality ingredients. And quality ingredients come from long-standing, trusted partnerships that were built on handshakes,
not contracts.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass™ highlights this commitment to family and quality by partnering with two family-owned businesses, and taking quality and transparency one step further – starting with the seed.
Crafting Grain to Glass
While many hands were involved in developing Heaven Hill Grain to Glass, it wouldn’t have been possible without a few instrumental people. Hear straight from these key players as they meet up to taste the finished product for the first time.
“QUALITY WHISKEY STARTS WITH THE SEED”
Sonny Beck
Typically, Whiskey is made with low-starch corn because it produces a higher yield. However, waxy (or high-starch) corn results in better alcohol content. Each year, our master distiller works with Beck’s Hybrids to find the perfect non-GMO corn seed varietal: one with higher-starch content that grows best in Central Kentucky. It can take years, or even decades, to create these hybrids, selecting the best traits of each corn plant and ensuring the resulting hybrid is ideal for Whiskey-making in Kentucky.
Beck’s 6158 was our selection for our 2024 releases.
Three Families, One Line of Whiskey
Family-owned businesses are built differently—in the way we prioritize people,
quality and our traditions. For Heaven Hill Grain to Glass, we partnered with two
like-minded companies, Beck’s Hybrids and Peterson Farms, which share our
commitment to quality and a passion that’s been passed down for generations.
max shapira
HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY
Heaven Hill Distillery has been owned and operated by the Shapira family since 1935.
In 2017, third generation president, Max Shapira, had the idea to take craft Whiskey
one step further, starting with the seed: one that would grow best in and around
our home in Central Kentucky.
SONNY BECK
BECK’S HYBRIDS
In order to find the right corn seed, we turned to the expertise of Beck’s Hybrids, a family
-owned company established in 1937 and based out of Atlanta, Indiana. We started by
meticulously selecting corn plants that had the attributes we wanted for Heaven Hill Grain
to Glass: higher starch content, better yield and, most importantly, the ability to thrive in
the soil of Central Kentucky. Those plants were then crossed to create a corn seed hybrid
that would give us the highest quality Whiskey.
BERNARD PETERSON
PETERSON FARMS
Peterson Farms in Loretto, Kentucky, has thirteen generations of history as a family-owned
business. They're well-known in the Whiskey industry for producing high-quality grains and
pioneering sustainable farming practices to keep the soil healthy. We knew they were the
perfect partner to bring our corn seed varietal to life - right in our backyard.
SEED, SOIL & SPIRIT
The Seed
In 2017, we chose the corn seed varietal for our initial release of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass: Beck’s 6158. Future releases of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass will rely on different seeds with unique attributes, which could result in new flavor profiles. The chosen corn seed varietal will be shown on the label.
Each year, the team at Beck’s Hybrids, along with our master distiller, will evaluate different corn seed varietals, or hybrids, choosing ones with desirable qualities such as resilience and overall grain quality. They’ll breed these hybrids over several years, resulting in a strong seed specifically designed for Whiskey-making in Kentucky.
The Soil
Our corn is grown on two fields within 50 miles of our home in Bardstown, Kentucky; in fact, the crop for our 2024 release was grown right across the street from our rickhouses. In future years, our wheat and rye will also be grown in Central Kentucky, ensuring additional quality and transparency from the seed to the glass.
Using locally-grown crops and keeping the soil healthy are crucial to our success. Crop rotation, where different crops are planted in alternating years to improve the nutrients in soil, and no-till farming practices, which help prevent erosion and reduce fuel use, are essential to this commitment.
The Spirit
After the grain is harvested and distilled, it ages for a minimum of six years in our rickhouses. Then our master distiller cuts the Whiskey to the proof that best highlights the flavors of the grain. This results in a truly premium product, with a limited number of barrels produced each year.
Heaven Hill Grain to Glass is the result of many teams working together. From the farmers who plant and harvest the fields, to those who roll the barrels into each rickhouse, countless people are involved in bringing these expressions to life. Their spirit and passion shine through in every last drop.
“The Kentucky landscape is a key ingredient in making our Whiskey exceptional”
Conor O’Driscoll
RELEASES
- Proof
- 107
- Release
Date - June 2024
- Distillation Year
- 2017
- Corn Seed
Varietal - Beck’s 6158
- Rickhouse
Site - W3
- Rickhouse
- Cox’s Creek
- Floor
- 3, 4, 5
- Proof
- 121
- Release
Date - June 2024
- Distillation Year
- 2017
- Corn Seed
Varietal - Beck’s 6158
- Rickhouse
Site - W3
- Rickhouse
- Cox’s Creek
- Floor
- 3, 4, 5
- Proof
- 123.2
- Release
Date - June 2024
- Distillation Year
- 2017
- Corn Seed
Varietal - Beck’s 6158
- Rickhouse
Site - W3
- Rickhouse
- Cox’s Creek
- Floor
- 3, 4, 5