Thirsty fans line up as Weston distillery resurrects pre-Civil War Missouri bourbon
May 26, 2022 | Emily Woodring
Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by Flatland, the digital magazine of Kansas City PBS and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for the weekly Flatland email newsletter.
This is a historic moment for the folks at Holladay Distillery in Weston, Missouri, and also a big deal for bourbon enthusiasts alike.
Holladay is releasing a bottled-in-bond bourbon, Ben Holladay Missouri Straight Bourbon, for the first time in over 35 years at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 21, at the distillery. Sales are limited to one bottle per person. Would-be buyers should be early risers.
The distillery is using the same recipe and some of the processes that Ben Holladay, also known as the “stagecoach king,” used to make his bourbon in 1856. Holladay, one of the region’s most successful early business magnates, eventually sold his stagecoach lines to Wells Fargo.
Unsure what this process looks like and want to hear more of the history behind it and about Ben Holladay the man himself? Watch the video from Flatland below, then keep reading.
McCormick Distilling Co., which owns 360 vodka, Tequila Rose and Five Farms Irish Cream, is the local company resurrecting Ben Holladay bourbon.
Ben Holladay Bourbon is bottled-in-bond. This means “the spirit must be aged for at least four years and bottled at precisely 100 proof (50% abv). It must be made by one distiller at a single distillery in one season, then aged in a bonded warehouse,” according to the Wine Enthusiast
The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 was created to make sure people were actually getting a distilled spirit with nothing else added, and to make sure what you were drinking was safe and wouldn’t kill you. Drinking yourself to death wasn’t at all uncommon back then. Spirits were often cut down with things like methanol, tobacco spit, prune juice, caramel coloring etc.
View this post on Instagram
Kyle Merklein, master distiller at Holladay Distillery, says bottled-in-bond has “morphed into a stamp of authenticity,” but it still means “you’re not going to die.”
The Ben Holladay Bourbon release is the latest sign of a booze boom in these parts. J. Rieger & Co. plans to release its bottled-in-bond straight bourbon on June 2, 2022.
Taste test anyone?
Emily Woodring is a food content producer for Kansas City PBS.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
C3KC organizers: Want to bring real social change to Kansas City? Let’s talk about it
The sold-out C3KC — a one-day conference that returns Tuesday, April 2 to Union Station — reflects the Junior League of Kansas City’s mission to bring together leaders for collaborative change in action, shared Ericka Duker. The Junior League — which aims to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration and…
Passing the keys, passion: How a new wave of small biz owners plan to preserve beloved local brands
Some have been customers; some employees. Now they’re the new owners of popular local restaurants and retail shops. As founders step aside, fresh sets of entrepreneurs step up in hopes of carrying on the goodwill and loyal following these brands have built up, some for decades. John McClelland and his brother-in-law, Johnathan Griffiths, work together…
Topping expectations: These brothers helped expand Pizza Tascio to 8 locations; now they’re taking over
Erik Borger hired all three Lombardino brothers in their teens, starting them out as dishwashers at his restaurants in St. Joseph, Missouri. They quickly took on other positions — front of house, staff scheduling, food and beverage orders and deliveries, and hiring and firing workers. If an employee didn’t show up for a shift, they…
Nell Hill’s founder returns to retail with ‘this little secret’ — a micro shop with an old-fashioned, in-store experience
Mary Carol Garrity’s last home furnishings store was 18,000 square feet. Her new one? A “petit bazaar” at just 400. Garrity is teaming up with longtime friend, Rebecca Wood, on diebolt’s in Midtown’s Gillham House Antiques & Furnishings. The shop, which is scheduled for an April 19 soft opening, is expected to offer a “fun…