The Account
In a 2021 oral history, Max Shapira describes Heaven Hill’s recovery after the 1996 Bardstown fire. He says bottling continued from whiskey already in tanks. A competitor then provided production capacity under Parker Beam’s supervision, while other producers supplied whiskey to combine with surviving stocks.
What This Establishes
This is attributed testimony from a participant. It explains how bottling, distillation and inventory could follow different recovery paths. It does not identify every assisting producer or establish the origin of an individual bottle. Shapira’s approximate barrel-loss figure is his reported estimate, not an independently verified count here.
Source
Tim McKirdy, “An Oral History of Bourbon Part III: Heaven Hill’s Max Shapira and Kate Shapira Latts”, VinePair, October 8, 2021. See “The Darkest Day,” particularly Max’s account of continued bottling and industry assistance.
Continue Exploring
Max Shapira — the profile and its wider career context.
The History of Bourbon and Other American Whiskies — return to the History section.