StilL 630 of St. Louis took top honors with their Monon Bell Bourbon Cask Strength at the Heartland Whiskey Competition held in Louisville, KY, earlier this summer. The distillery’s ‘cornfield to glass’ creation was named Missouri’s top craft whiskey in a blind judging competition, sponsored in part by the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council (MCMC), which drew entries from 17 states.
The day-long competition supervised by the American Craft Spirits Association required judges to evaluate each spirit within its appropriate category (bourbon, corn whiskey, etc.). Top state medals were awarded to those achieving the highest scores in their respective states, regardless of category.
“The state corn marketing associations have supported ACSA and its members to help promote craft whiskey through this important competition,” stated Margie A.S. Lehrman, CEO of ACSA. “We greatly appreciate their continued support and the fact they supply our members with the best corn product in the world.”
The competition was limited to spirits that use corn as an ingredient in the distillation process. In addition to StilL 630, three other Missouri distilleries medaled: Blacksmith Artisanal Spirits of Lohman, Wood Hat Spirits of New Florence, and Withered Oak of St. Louis each took home a bronze in their respective categories.
“This competition is a wonderful way to showcase new and innovative ways for people to utilize the corn we grow here in Missouri,” noted MCMC Chairman Jay Schutte of Benton City. “We are proud to support Missouri distilleries and promote another use of field corn the general public can enjoy.”
A growing industry, Missouri is home to more than 62 craft distilleries. On average, it takes approximately 3 pounds of corn to make one bottle of spirits. At 56 pounds in a bushel, local distilleries can produce roughly 18 bottles of spirits for each bushel of corn. Most craft distilleries use corn mash sourced locally to make their product.
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