The summer of 2019 gave birth to a new style of American Whiskey – Missouri Bourbon. Passed on August 28th, House Bill 266 declared that Missouri bourbon must meet all federal quality standards for bourbon, and must be mashed, fermented, distilled, and bottled in the state. It must also be made with corn grown in-state, and aged oak barrels from – you guessed it – Missouri.
While 95% of all bourbon production comes from Kentucky, Missouri’s climate and geography are well suited for producing high-quality bourbon. Some say that it’s all about limestone springs producing water that gives Kentucky bourbon its signature taste. Fortunately, Missouri has a few limestone springs, themselves. The first Missouri distillery to produce bourbon was J. Rieger & Co., which opened in 2014.
The State’s oldest distillery was founded by a man by the name of Ben Holladay, known throughout history as the “Stagecoach King”. The Holladay Distillery underwent a $10 million renovation in 2015 and began distilling its own juice for the 1st time in over 3 decades. Many a whiskey nerd (myself included), has been buzzing for this release, and we were rewarded on May 21st with the release of Ben Holladay’s 6-year-old Bottled-in-Bond offering.
If you’ve got friends in Missouri, tell them to grab you a bottle!
Fun Fact: Ben Holladay Bourbon uses the same OG mash bill (recipe, if you will) from 1856. Ben was a Kentucky native, who purchased the property in 1849. He immediately recognized the limestone spring on the site and figured that he could use it to create high-quality bourbon, just like the stuff from back home. He began Blue Springs Distillery with his brother, David, where they sold bourbon for 35 cents per gallon.
