5 new St. Louis-area distilleries to try now
St. Louis has firmly established itself as a top craft beer city, but craft distilling has recently gained more than just a foothold in the beverage scene. Here are some of the area’s newest spirits producers.
1. Truly Floral Spirits
St. Louis, trulyfloral.com
Truly Floral stepped onto the local spirits stage this year with its Truly Floral Blue gin, distilled by Distillery of Defiance and named for the colorful array of botanicals used to create it. Co-owners Kelley Hall-Barr and Ian VanDam originally made some small-batch gin for their store, Civil Alchemy, in 2018. Demand took off, and the rest is history. Look for a pink gin coming early this fall.
2. 1220 Spirits
1220 S. Eighth St., St. Louis, 1220spirits.com
From the minds behind 4 Hands Brewing Co., 1220 takes a similarly inventive approach to its spirits. The distillery, founded in 2018, uses a variety of fruits, herbs and spices to create unique drams, including Encrypted Vodka, Origin Gin, Barrel Reserve Gin, Spettro Amaro, Flora Aperitif and a line of canned cocktails.
Read More // Distiller Demetrius Cain's quest for unadulterated island rum in Missouri
3. Righteous Road Craft Spirits
St. Louis, 314.800.1026, righteous-road.com
Righteous Road debuted in St. Louis this year with its Righteous Seven liqueur, a kosher tipple that incorporates the biblical seven species representing the bounty of Israel: wheat, barley, olives, dates, figs, pomegranates and grapes. The spirits community has found Righteous Seven heavenly too. The liqueur won double gold at both the SIP Awards and the San Francisco World Spirits competition this year.
4. Ardent Spirits
115 E. Clay St., Collinsville, 618.855.8027, oldheraldbrewing.com
Part of Old Herald Brewing Co. in Collinsville, Ardent began production this year in the former Old Herald newspaper building. Guests can sip Ardent straight or in a variety of cocktails at the brewery restaurant. The distillery’s rum and agave spirit recently medaled at the San Francisco World Spirits competition.
5. Edelbrand Pure Distilling
Marthasville, 314.282.7528, edelbrandpuredistilling.com
Nestled in the countryside outside of Marthasville, Missouri, Edelbrand is the epitome of the small, family-owned and -operated distillery. Edelbrand produces European-style fruit brandies utilizing traditional Swiss distilling methods. The spirits are most definitely small batch: The distillery only puts out about 1,200 bottles a year.
Matt Sorrell is a staff writer at Sauce Magazine.
