J. Rieger & Co
One Saturday, we met our friends at a local winery on the way to KC, and I thought last second, "I wonder if there are any distilleries we can visit or tour?" A quick Google search led me to J. Rieger & Co. Distilling. I hopped on their website and booked the next available tour.
Arrival
We get to J. Rieger just in time for our tour. We found ourselves at a beautiful old building in the Electric Park Neighborhood of the East Bottoms District in Kansas City, right next to the railroad tracks. As we walk into the building, we enter a beautiful, updated, yet old- feeling room with huge windows looking into the distillery. A super-friendly woman at the desk greeted us and directed us to the waiting area. Around the waiting area is an exhibit about how they make liquors and the extensive history of the distillery. On the other side of the desk is a shop to purchase the distillery's products, syrups (the KC Canning Company Smoked Pear Shrub is our favorite), and other merchandise. The most important thing sits right in front of the shop, A SLIDE! We knew we had to go down the slide before we left, but no time now; we got a tour to get to.
The Tour
The tour begins with a short video of the history of J. Rieger & Co. Distilling. After the video, they led us to the distillery production floor. Sadly we were there on the weekend, so they weren’t actively distilling any product. The tour guide explained how the distilling process works and what each piece of equipment was for. After the production area, they guided us to the rickhouse, the warehouse where they keep barreled whiskey to age. According to J. Rieger & Co.'s website, they have over 3,000 barrels of whiskey! Our guide talked about the barrels and how and why they age their whiskey the way they do. Next, the guide showed us to Jacob's Barrel Room, a striking room. This conference room was right in the middle of the rickhouse with glass walls all the way around, providing a view of barrels upon barrels of whiskey. This beautiful air-conditioned room was an excellent addition after being near the warmth of the distilling and being in a non-climate controlled rickhouse on a hot summer day. The tour concluded, and they led us to the main event... The tasting!
The Tasting
The tasting was held in their Tasting Room; who woulda thunk it? The Tasting Room was a fantastic large room with plenty of tables and seating and a tasting flight already set up for each guest on the tour.
Each tasting includes:
J. Rieger & Co.’s Premium Wheat Vodka
Midwest Dry Gin
Kansas City Whiskey
• Caffè Amaro.
In the middle of the tables were glass vials containing all the ingredients and aromatics they used for the products. Guests are encouraged to open and smell the ingredients to help understand and identify them during the tasting. The tasting began with the lightest item, the vodka, and worked up to the heaviest, the Caffè Amaro. The guide walked us through each liquor and explained what to expect and taste with each product.
First up on the tasting was the Premium Wheat Vodka. Usually, I am not a huge vodka fan. Vodka usually reminds me of parties and trying to get drunk fast. However, I found this one enjoyable and easy to sip, even neat!
Up next is the Midwest Gin, my second favorite product. I enjoy gin, especially gin cocktails, but sipping gin straight is not for the faint of heart with its strong botanical flavors. This gin was nice, mellow, smooth, and strong on the juniper, which I enjoyed. Hannah is not a gin fan, so I got to finish her gin tasting, which usually happens when gin is part of a tasting.
The third on the tasting was my favorite and Hannah’s favorite, the Kansas City Whiskey. According to the distillery’s website, the Kansas City Whiskey is a blended whiskey with straight bourbon, straight rye, light corn whiskey, and a small amount of 15-year-old Oloroso Sherry from Spain. This whiskey was delicious and a bit sweeter than a traditional bourbon or rye, mainly from the sherry. It finishes with the classic whiskey notes of butterscotch and caramel, making a well-rounded whiskey distinct to J. Rieger & Co. and Kansas City.
The last item on the tasting was the Caffè Amaro. This product is their one-of-a-kind, bittersweet coffee liqueur that starts with the classic Amaro tastes of bitterness and botanicals such as juniper, star anise, cardamom, and more. However, the Caffè Amaro finishes with a
delicious coffee and a little sweetness. According to J. Rieger & Co.'s website, they also use coffee from Kansas City coffee roasters! Hell yeah, more local goodness!
The Electric Park Garden Bar
After the tasting, we ordered Old Fashions and decided to check out the Electric Park Garden Bar, their beautiful outdoor patio with a walk-up bar, food trucks, fire pits, swing benches, and more! Hannah and I chose a spot to sit and enjoy our drinks. However, it did not take long for me to get distracted when I heard a loud rumbling and clanging... TRAINS! Down the sidewalk leading to an alternate exit, I saw a train yard where a worker was throwing big ol’ track switches and connecting and disconnecting train cars. I leaned against the fence while sipping my Old-Fashioned enjoying the free show.
Right across the tracks, I spotted a cool-looking building that first looked like a biker dive bar. Come to find out; it's also a live music venue. I thought I'd like to catch a concert there one of these days, which would come true seven months later when I saw Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!
Before we left, we stopped by the gift shop and bought a bottle of their delicious Kansas City Whiskey, a small bottle of the Midwestern Gin, and a bottle of Kansas City Canning Pear Shrub (Hannah’s favorite).
But don't worry; we didn't forget THE SLIDE! I ran up the stairs to the Monogram Lounge and slid down the stainless-steel slide, grinning ear-to-ear and happy with my first trip to J. Rieger & Co. Distilling.
Monogram Lounge – Second Visit to J. Rieger
My parents met me in Kansas City for the concert, and we decided to stop at J. Rieger & Co. for a cocktail before the concert. The Garden Bar was closed for a private event, but that allowed us to check out the Monogram Lounge. This upstairs lounge has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the distillery production floor, tables, couches, and a 40-foot bar! I had a Horsefeather (a cocktail made with Kansas City Whiskey, ginger beer, bitters, and lemon), and my dad had the Heim Beer, which is a beer made exclusively for J. Rieger & Co. from KC Bier Co., another local spot!
Next time you are in Kansas City, definitely check out J. Rieger & Co. The tour is worth the $20/per person, and the tasting makes it a great deal! Thanks for reading our blog! We look forward to hearing about your experiences with J. Rieger & Co. or any other local/ family- owned distillery, winery, or brewery! Stay tuned for more content covering local wineries, breweries, and distilleries. Think local. Drink local. Click Local.
Details
Type: Distillery
Products: Whiskey, Gin, Vodka, Caffè Amaro
Kids: welcome with 21+
Dogs: Welcome to the Electric Park Garden Bar
Price: $$