BARDSTOWN, Ky. — One of Kentucky’s largest bourbon makers celebrated a milestone by filling its 10 millionth barrel of bourbon. Roger Iyvers with Heaven Hill Brands and Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., filled and capped the milestone barrel. 

Iyvers, Heaven Hill Brands Operator, has got a lot of barrels under his belt.

“Only about 500-thousand. I was here for the nine and a half millionth barrel and now I’m here for the ten millionth,” he said. 

During any given shift, Iyvers and his fellow operators fill 1,122 barrels a day.

“We raise a toast in celebration of Heaven Hill’s ten millionth barrel,” said Max Shapira, executive director for Heaven Hill. 

Iyvers, a Bardstown native, said out of the jobs he’s had over the years, Heaven Hill has been his favorite place to work.

“This job is great. I like it. It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” Iyvers said. 

With Gov. Beshear and the family owners in attendance, Iyvers helped prepare and fill the historic barrel. He said the process is pretty quick.

“Drop these into the barrel and it will fill it and it takes about a minute and 20 seconds or something like that,” he said. 

After it’s filled, Iyvers sends the barrels off to age in a rickhouse.

“We roll them out and then we send we them down the chain to the full barrel trailer. And then they ship them to the warehouse and they put them up in there,” he said. 

On the day the milestone barrel is filled, Iyvers said he hopes to be around for millions more.

Heaven Hill is building a new distillery in Bardstown that is expected to produce up to  450,000 barrels a year. The new distillery is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. 

Heaven hill brands is building a new distillery in bardstown that is expected to produce up to  450 thousand barrels a year. The distillery is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.