'A river of fire': How a bourbon blaze became America’s largest distillery fire

When a massive fire hits one of the nation’s largest bourbon distilleries, the families of competing bourbon companies have to decide whether to lend a hand… or let it burn.

When a massive fire hits one of the nation’s largest bourbon distilleries, the families of competing bourbon companies have to decide whether to lend a hand… or let it burn.

This is the little known story of Kentucky Bourbon to America's native spirit and our family's been doing this since 1795. The United States ain't that much older than us. The distillery was shut down when prohibition came about, workers at this barrel manufacturing plant will be laid off permanently. Today. The distillery broke ground for *** $3 million expansion that will create 30 additional jobs just as the industry is getting back on its feet. Disaster strikes the rain kept coming down and the wind acted like *** blowtorch. Firefighters are dwarfed by the wall of flames. I have never seen anything this big. Then it happens. The wall of fire becomes *** river of fire. All anyone can do is watch the bourbon burning in its warehouses, just sit back and watch it unfold and just kind of felt helpless. You know, it remains the worst tragedy to ever hit the industry. 2% of the world's whiskey simply evaporates. Ultimately, we lost about 100,000 barrels of whiskey. Miraculously, one particularly special item is saved from the flames. The Beam family yeast. This is what it looks like from the sky today. But the flames are still going. But even though the yeast survives, the Heaven Held distillery is facing an uncertain future. They don't expect what happens next. Bourbon blaze. The night that tested America's spirit stream for free, only on very local.

'A river of fire': How a bourbon blaze became America’s largest distillery fire

When a massive fire hits one of the nation’s largest bourbon distilleries, the families of competing bourbon companies have to decide whether to lend a hand… or let it burn.

Bourbon is America’s only native spirit, and around it has formed a billion dollar industry steeped in legacy and tradition. Brought by some of the first immigrants to the newly formed United States and developed to perfection in Kentucky, bourbon was born. In the decades that followed, a collection of ambitious entrepreneurs opened their own distilleries and put their unique twists on the classic formula. These businessmen and women passed down their secrets and recipes to the next generations, creating the bourbon families of Kentucky. Time held ups and downs for the whiskey dynasties, from the boom of the Industrial Revolution to the devastating impact of Prohibition. By the end of the 20th century, bourbon was booming once again, with sales on the up.But on November 7, 1996, a storm was brewing near Louisville, Kentucky. At the Heaven Hill warehouses, home of one of the biggest names in bourbon, a spark turned into a flame. The flames quickly became an inferno and raged through the dozens of wooden warehouses that stored thousands of barrels of aging bourbon. The fire became almost impossible to stop. What was left was destruction.Seven warehouses holding millions of gallons of whiskey were destroyed, as well as the distillery itself. That added up to 2% of the world’s whiskey and 15% of Heaven Hill’s storage capacity. The value of the losses totaled around $30 million. With the biggest family-owned bourbon company reeling from the accident, the rest of the bourbon industry had a choice to make. They could let the hurt company go down in the flames, or they could lend a hand to one of their largest competitors. This is the story of bourbon, America’s native spirit, and of an industry passed down through generations of families who trace their roots to the country’s founding. Download the Very Local app to stream “Bourbon Blaze.”Bourbon Blaze: The Night That Tested America’s Spirit, airs on Very Local on Jan. 10. Visit the Very Local app to learn more, stream local news, and explore more original series. Keep connected to your hometown with the news team you trust and discover original series and specials that explore your community and beyond.Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more.

Time held ups and downs for the whiskey dynasties, from the boom of the Industrial Revolution to the devastating impact of Prohibition. By the end of the 20th century, bourbon was booming once again, with sales on the up.

But on November 7, 1996, a storm was brewing near Louisville, Kentucky. At the Heaven Hill warehouses, home of one of the biggest names in bourbon, a spark turned into a flame. The flames quickly became an inferno and raged through the dozens of wooden warehouses that stored thousands of barrels of aging bourbon. The fire became almost impossible to stop. What was left was destruction.

Seven warehouses holding millions of gallons of whiskey were destroyed, as well as the distillery itself. That added up to 2% of the world’s whiskey and 15% of Heaven Hill’s storage capacity. The value of the losses totaled around $30 million.

With the biggest family-owned bourbon company reeling from the accident, the rest of the bourbon industry had a choice to make. They could let the hurt company go down in the flames, or they could lend a hand to one of their largest competitors.

This is the story of bourbon, America’s native spirit, and of an industry passed down through generations of families who trace their roots to the country’s founding.

Download the Very Local app to stream “Bourbon Blaze.”

Bourbon Blaze: The Night That Tested America’s Spirit, airs on Very Local on Jan. 10. Visit the Very Local app to learn more, stream local news, and explore more original series. Keep connected to your hometown with the news team you trust and discover original series and specials that explore your community and beyond.

Follow Very Local on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more.

'A river of fire': How a bourbon blaze became America’s largest distillery fire

When a massive fire hits one of the nation’s largest bourbon distilleries, the families of competing bourbon companies have to decide whether to lend a hand… or let it burn.

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