ST. LOUIS — There are places in St. Louis that can go unnoticed, but on closer look you may see something special.
There used to be Hardee’s restaurant downtown. The building doesn’t look like much these days, at least not from the outside.
“This building is not abandoned,” David Weglarz said.
Once inside the door, you’ll barrels stacked high to the ceiling.
“We use local barrels, local grain, local water, local weather to make Missouri whiskey,” said Weglarz.
He is making his dream come true in a city that is known for brewing beer.
“Whiskey is primarily what we do and what we love here,” he said.
Weglarz is the owner of StilL 630.
“I always wanted to be my own boss and make something, but I never knew what that was,” he said.
The “what” is now a whiskey that the industry is noticing.
“The only distillery in the world that’s won the American Craftsman Association best whiskey in the country, two times,” he told 5 On Your Side.
Weglarz has no in-depth formal education in the craft.
“It’s really been trial and error here,” he said.
He makes up for any shortcomings with his passion to succeed.
“I’ve always wanted to be a small part of what’s awesome about this great city,” he said.
The art of making whiskey taught him to slow down. He also developed a palette for refining his whiskey.
“We do drink in the mornings, but it is one of the obligations of the job,” he joked.
He has been working on his whiskeys for nine years now and is consistently looking to improve them. However, he isn’t trying to take over the world of whiskey.
“It’s not about size. It’s about being known quality,” he said.
Weglarz’s quality spirit is now bringing quality to his life.
“It’s up to you to make your life whatever you want it to be and I wanted mine to be special, interesting, incredible and this is my version of that. It’s an incredible journey,” he said.
Weglarz offers tastings and tours at his distillery. To learn more, click here.