St Louis Distilleries: These Spots Will Lift Your Spirits
Award-winning St. Louis distilleries offer everything from Missouri bourbon to New World Gin to Blood Orange Vodka.
A combination of growth in the craft spirits industry, talented distillers and spirits enthusiasts has secured St. Louis’ spot on the global craft spirits map.
“The local and regional craft spirits industry is one of the unsung industries in the country,” Anne-Sophie Whitehead, conference director of the American Distilling Institute, said after the 2022 ADI Craft Spirits Conference & Vendor Expo in St. Louis, “but there are some real gems here. There’s inventiveness in this industry that more established industries might not have, and we can sense a hunger among the distillers to push the envelope, which is refreshing.”
As a Midwest city, many people assume that St. Louis distillers focus on whiskey, but if you dig deeper, you’ll see the breadth and depth of our craft spirits, ranging from moonshine to rum to brandy. Gin is another example of the explosiveness of the industry.
“When I opened The Gin Room in 2014, there were three gin distilleries in Missouri,” Natasha Bahrami says. “Today, there are more than 20.”
Bahrami, who owns The Gin Room as well as Salve Osteria on South Grand Boulevard, is the first and only American to have been inducted into the Gin Hall of Fame by Gin Magazine. She also founded Ginworld, an annual gin festival based in St. Louis. Although every gin is not for everyone, Bahrami believes she can find a gin for everyone.
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Founded in 2018 by the talented brewers at 4 Hands Brewing Co., 1220 Spirits is a botanically inspired craft distillery. Like 4 Hand’s approach to brewing beer, 1220 Spirits leads with creativity, exploring the possibilities of a symbiotic relationship between a traditional brewery and a craft distillery.
1220 Spirits started as a dream to make gin, but its portfolio has grown to include more than a dozen products, including Encrypted Vodka, a remarkably smooth spirit made from a Missouri corn mash; Flora, a slightly sweet apéritif with citrus and floral notes and a subtly bitter finish; and Spettro, a digestif with an earthy, bitter base, herbal heart and top notes of vanilla, bitter orange and black licorice.
Founded in 2011 by Derrick Langeneckert, who was a student of Square One Brewery & Distillery in Lafayette Square, Alpha Brewing Co. continues to evolve and grow. In the summer of 2024, Alpha Brewing Company Distillery opened in the Delmar Maker District, an emerging entertainment hub anchored by Third Degree Glass Factory.
Before the brick-and-mortar location became a reality, Alpha Brewing Company Distillery began distilling Squoosh, a fruited vodka created specifically for The Kitchen Bar at City Foundry STL. Current flavors include blood orange, cherry, cranberry, blue raspberry, lemon and lime – the latter adds zesty flavor to boozy limeades, Margaritas and Mojitos.
Resembling the lab of a mad scientist, StilL 630 is lined with bottles of botanicals. David Weglarz, who founded the craft distillery in 2011, loves to experiment, distilling different ingredients in different proportions in different barrels in search of awesome new recipes.
That’s exactly how he created Confluence American Gin, which was named Best Craft Gin in the Country by the American Distilling Institute, besting 150 gins from around the world, in 2023. While Confluence American Gin has juniper and coriander like all StilL 630 gins, along with galangal root and pink peppercorns, the primary ingredient is horseradish.
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If the spirit moves you, as they say, check out these distilleries in St. Louis and experience the city's vibrant craft spirits scene for yourself!
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