Gomer's 103rd is pleased to welcome Kyle Merklein, Master Distiller of Holladay Distillery!

Please join us on Tuesday, November 1st as Gomers 103rd welcomes Kyle Merklein, Master Distiller of Holladay Distillery .

Bourbon is by definition American-made. The spirit can only be made in the United States and it can be made in any state, but the finest bourbon results from an ideal combination of climate and geology that is rare outside of Kentucky but is found in the rolling hills of Weston, Missouri.


The Holladay Distillery was founded in 1856, making it both the oldest distillery in the state of Missouri and the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi still operating on its original site. The property sits on active limestone springs that were first charted by Lewis and Clark in 1804, more than fifty years before Ben Holladay purchased the land that would later become his legacy.


Ben Holladay Bourbon is classified as a Real Missouri Bourbon under a 2019 law requiring that any whiskey labeled as Missouri bourbon must not only meet the federal standards for bourbon, but also be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled in the state; aged in oak barrels manufactured in the state; and—beginning January 1, 2020—made with corn exclusively grown in the state. It is also Bottled-in-Bond, a rare and prestigious designation in the distilled spirits industry, signaling that the product is distilled, aged, and bottled in the same location and assuring a mark of authenticity.


This six-year-old, Bottled-in-Bond, Real Missouri Bourbon is crafted with the same mash bill that was developed by Ben Holladay in 1856. This whiskey represents the perfect union of distilling tradition and modern-day production.

Crafting bourbon is equal parts art and science. Master Distiller, Kyle Merklein, earned his biological/agricultural engineering degrees from Kansas State, with a Master's research focus on the optimization of various fermentation systems. He's been in charge of the distillery's bourbon operation and new product development since 2016 and has spent countless hours comparing the lab work on current barrels to the data found in the company's old handwritten ledgers and TTB records going back decades, all while working toward his Ph.D. in industrial engineering. He has a true passion for bourbon and an attentiveness to the most minute details of bourbon-making that keeps him awake at night. He was the exact right person for the formidable task of producing a bourbon that both honors Holladay's legacy and exceeds modern standards.

There will be ONE seating for this tasting starting promptly at 6:00pm. Due to space limitations, RESERVATIONS WILL BE REQUIRED. If you would like to attend, please reply to this email or hit the link below to secure your spot! THERE WILL BE NO CHARGE FOR THIS EVENT!

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Thank you, 


Kevin O'Reilly