(NOTE: FOUNDERS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
Craft Distillery Whiskey Founders
Great Plains States Region
The Great Plains States Region includes the States of: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
Below are links to Whiskey Founders that have made huge contributions to the growth of the Great Plains States Region’s Whiskey Industry. These may have been historical figures that lived long ago before prohibition or may be living leaders that have advanced the cause of the industry as a whole. Craft Whiskey has now been its own whiskey category for years.
1
Brad Boswell
Independent Stave Company
Brad Boswell stands as a prominent figure in the world of cooperage— the specialized craft of making barrels, particularly for aging fine spirits and wine. As the leader of Independent Stave Company, he is instrumental in maintaining the company’s legacy while steering it into new realms of innovation and global influence.
2
T.W. Boswell
Independent Stave Company
The art of cooperage—the making of barrels—has shaped the world of wine, whiskey, and spirits for centuries. At the heart of this tradition stands the Independent Stave Company (ISC), a family-owned business that has revolutionized the craft while preserving its enduring values. Central to ISC’s remarkable story is T.W. Boswell.
3
Rich Eggers
Iowa Legendary Rye
In Carroll, Iowa, “Whiskey Rich” Eggers is known less for expansion than for consistency, and Iowa Legendary Rye stands as an example of how historical methods can be preserved in a modern context, as a practical and intentional way of making whiskey exactly like bootlegger Lorene Sextro did in 1932.
4
David Epstein
Tom's Town
Upon his return to Kansas City, David Epstein and Steve Revare quickly reconnected, picking up a conversation that had effectively been paused rather than ended. Both sensed that Kansas City’s new phase was one defined by an interest in locally made spirits and by a renewed interest in the city’s own complicated past.
5
Patrick Garcia
Union Horse
Patrick Garcia always felt at home in the shifting seasons of Kansas. Garcia grew up in Kansas City alongside his older brothers Damian and Eric, and sister Mary, learning early that family ties often form the backbone of successful enterprise. So from their childhood, the Garcia siblings looked for the chance to build something together.
6
Gary Hinegardner
Wood Hat Spirits
Gary Hinegardner, owner and founder of Wood Hat Spirits, frequently challenges visitors at his distillery with a compelling question: “Why do we make whiskey from the same corn that cows and pigs eat? We should be making whiskey from corn meant for people – better yet create a corn just for whiskey.” This perspective embodies his forward-thinking approach and steadfast commitment to both agriculture and whiskey artistry.
7
Patrick Hoffman
Lonely Oak
Pat Hoffman kept the plan for his distillery to himself while he tested whether turning farm-grown grain into spirits was truly workable. By the time he raised the idea with his wife, Amy, he had already done enough groundwork to believe it could succeed. Surprisingly, Amy Hoffmann backed the idea wholeheartedly.
8
Ben Holladay
Holladay Distillery
Ben was able to purchase the land for the distillery in 1849 after discovering the limestone spring on the site. He went to work with his brother David to secure the necessary equipment and materials and was able to begin distilling whiskey at the Blue Springs Distillery in 1856. The first whiskey was sold for 35 cents per gallon the following year.
9
Joel Kath
Proof Artisan Distillery
Joel Kath has involved the family deeply in the whiskey efforts. His brother Jay serves as Master Distiller and operations manager. Moreover, Joel notes that the tasting panel for quality control comprises himself, Jay, and Joel’s sons, Jamison and Jarek, keeping his sons part of the whiskey sensory evaluation.
10
Keith Kerkhoff
Templeton Distillery
Keith Kerkhoff grew up in rural western Iowa, surrounded by farms and hidden stills. His grandfather, Alphonse (“Al”) Kerkhoff, was among the bootleggers in Templeton who produced rye whiskey during Prohibition, utilizing rye grain and aging it in barrels to make their product smoother and more marketable.
11
Alex Lindsey
West Bottoms
Alex Lindsey began distilling on his own more than a decade before his business became public, starting with sharing his results with friends and family and paying close attention to what people actually liked. Soon, Lindsey noticed that some people who normally avoided whiskey enjoyed what he was making.
12
Ryan Maybee
J. Rieger DIstillery
n 2010, Ryan Maybee met Andy Rieger at the restaurant and ended with the two beginning serious conversations about reviving the old family whiskey name. The legacy they were reaching for belonged to Jacob Rieger and the pre-Prohibition firm sometimes rendered as Jacob Rieger & Company.
13
Kyle Merklein
Holladay Distillery
Kyle Merklein’s passion for bourbon and distillation is rooted in both science and craftsmanship. As Master Distiller at Holladay Distillery in Weston, Missouri, he combines his technical expertise with a deep appreciation for the art of whiskey-making, ensuring that every bottle reflects the highest standards of quality and innovation.
14
Brian Nation
Keeper's Heart
Brian Nation’s journey from Ireland’s renowned whiskey-making traditions to the establishment of a pioneering distillery in Minneapolis is a testament to his skill in crafting exceptional spirits. Brian’s deep understanding of the technical side of production, combined with his sensory expertise in taste and smell, has made him one of the most influential figures in the modern whiskey industry.
15
PatrickO'Shaughnessy
O'Shaughnessy Distillery
The distilling chapter of Patrick O’Shaughnessy’s life did not begin to take shape until 2017, at a O’Shaughnessy family reunion. As often happens at such gatherings, whiskey was on the table. A running joke surfaced: wouldn’t it be fun if the family had its own whiskey? The question touched something genuine.
16
Jeff & Laurie Quint
Cedar Ridge
Jeffrey (Jeff) Anthony Quint, alongside his wife Laurie, founded Cedar Ridge Distillery in 2005 in Swisher, Iowa, becoming the first licensed distillery in Iowa since Prohibition. Fueled by a passion for spirits and a deep-rooted connection to winemaking, Jeff envisioned creating not just a distillery, but a destination that would offer a unique experience for both locals and visitors traveling through the Midwest.
17
Jacob Rieger
J. Rieger DIstillery
Jacob Rieger opened a grocery store, a practical business for a new immigrant family, and one that put him in daily contact with the rhythms of a booming river-and-rail city. At that time in history, Kansas City, Missouri, was not bashful about any form of appetite, industrial, commercial, or recreational.
18
Jamison Rounds
Dakota Spirits
Jamison Rounds first set about preparing for the priesthood. He traveled to Europe for seminary studies and worked in Italy, Germany and Poland, but during those years abroad, his intellectual focus began to shift. When he returned to South Dakota, it was not to build his own parish church, but to build a distillery.
19
Cody Schmick
Sideshow
Cody Schmick described a secret-door transition into a Sideshow cocktail lounge designed to feel, “super high end,” with a different drink menu and a flow between the spaces. It’s a revealing detail: Schmick wasn’t choosing between mass appeal and premium experience, he was stacking them
20
Jamie Siefken
Cedar Ridge
In 2010, Jamie Siefken joined Cedar Ridge Distillery as General Manager. It was a consequential moment to step into the operation. Cedar Ridge wasn’t merely a tasting room; it was a hybrid business that had to balance tourism, production realities, and distribution, with wine and spirits under one roof.
21
Michael Swanson
Far North Spirits
Michael Swanson trained with seasoned distillers in Wisconsin and Chicago, absorbing methods, comparing approaches, and discovering that even among professionals, there was no single sanctioned “right way” to do the work, only decisions that, once committed, had to be executed with complete faith.
22
Zac Triemert
Brickway
Zac favors a double-pot still system and new, charred American oak, maturing his whisky in ways that pull from corn liquor’s heat-driven transformations while retaining a single-malt’s grain focus. The result is a spirit that stood between traditions: Scotch’s earthy purity and bourbon’s oak-and-heat.
23
Dave Weglarz
Still 630
Dave Weglarz took ownership of the location he intended to turn into a distillery and moved into what was previously a Hardee’s. He positioned himself as the working distiller. He planned to build the brand’s identity around intensity, experimentation, and a refusal to be subdued, despite several setbacks.