Missouri’s Oldest Distillery Expands with Massive New Rickhouse Ahead of 170th Anniversary

Weston, Missouri — If you ask the average whiskey drinker where great bourbon comes from, they’ll almost certainly point you toward Kentucky. But that narrative ignores a massive piece of American distilling history sitting right on the banks of the Missouri River.

Holladay Distillery has been operating in Weston, Missouri, since 1856. That is before the Civil War. It is the oldest continuous business in the greater Kansas City area, and the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi still operating on its original patch of land.

On December 5, 2026, the distillery will officially hit its 170-year milestone. But rather than just resting on its laurels, Holladay is actively expanding its footprint to secure the next century.

The most visible sign of this ambition is the newly completed Rickhouse D. Now fully operational, with barrels already moved in, this traditional ironclad structure is a massive addition to the distillery’s growing bourbon campus.

In whiskey aging, a rickhouse isn’t just a passive storage warehouse. The extreme, unpredictable Midwestern climate pushes the liquid deep into the oak barrels during hot summers and draws it back out during freezing winters.

This natural breathing process is what gives their signature Soft Red Wheat Bourbon its deep color and complex flavor profile.

“Every new rickhouse represents a belief in the future,” says Patrick Fee, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Holladay Distillery.

According to Fee, this project is about honoring traditional bourbon-making while continuing to invest in the next generation of Holladay Distillery. It’s hard to argue with the results.

The expansion coincides with another massive milestone: it has been exactly ten years since the distillery kicked off its modern bourbon revival, firing up the stills again after a decades-long hiatus.

To understand why this place survived when hundreds of other frontier distilleries crumbled, you have to look at the people behind the brand. As part of this year’s pre-anniversary celebrations, the distillery officially dedicated the newly renamed Ed Pechar Event Center.

Edward A. Pechar was the longtime Chairman of McCormick Distilling Co. (Holladay’s parent company). He was part of the crucial ownership group that bought the struggling enterprise and redirected its focus toward premium spirits.

By renaming the venue after Pechar, the company is linking his legacy to that of Michael S. Griesser, whose name adorns the distillery’s main stillhouse. These were the leaders who ensured that the spring water—which, fun fact, flows from a limestone spring originally chartered by legendary explorers Lewis and Clark—would continue to be turned into high-quality spirits rather than lost to history.

If you are a whiskey enthusiast looking for an authentic experience that isn’t slicked up by corporate focus groups, Weston is worth the 30-minute drive north of Kansas City.

Between the scenic, historic rickhouses, the deep-dive historical tours, and some of the best wheat bourbon currently coming out of the American heartland, Holladay is proving that Missouri whiskey doesn’t play second fiddle to anyone.