Missouri's Holladay Distillery released Ben Holladay 10 Year Bourbon on October 17, making it the oldest expression the Weston distillery has ever bottled. The limited release, available exclusively at the distillery with a one-bottle-per-person cap, arrives as Holladay approaches its 170th anniversary on December 5.
The Liquid
Master Distiller Kyle Merklein distilled the bourbon from the original Ben Holladay mash bill and spent a decade monitoring barrel development in Holladay's iron-clad rickhouses before hand-selecting standout casks for the final batch. The expression is bottled at 111 proof (55.5% ABV), a proof point Merklein says was chosen to let the decade of aging speak without overwhelming balance. "At 111 proof, we felt like we found the sweet spot where you can really experience what those ten years gave us," he said.
Why It Matters for the On-Premise
For bar directors and spirits buyers, the release signals a meaningful maturation milestone in Midwest whiskey. Missouri is part of a growing regional bourbon conversation alongside Kentucky and Tennessee, and aged expressions from distilleries with genuine historical roots carry increasing weight on premium cocktail menus and allocated bottle lists. Aged-whiskey programming continues to drive revenue across restaurant beverage programs, particularly in markets where guests are actively seeking limited, single-distillery releases with traceable provenance.
The timing also carries symbolic weight. Holladay's bourbon revival launched roughly a decade ago, meaning this 10 Year release represents the very first wave of spirits that entered the barrel under the distillery's modern chapter—a full-circle narrative that operators can leverage in storytelling around allocated pours. The distillery has maintained on-site distillation and aging throughout that revival, reinforcing the authenticity of the age statement.
A Broader Trend
Limited aged releases from heritage American distilleries have become high-demand inventory events in restaurant and hospitality beverage operations, with allocated drops often selling out within hours of public availability. Holladay's one-bottle limit underscores the scarcity. For on-premise accounts in the region, establishing a direct relationship with the distillery ahead of future releases may be the most actionable near-term step. Holladay Distillery is based in Weston, Missouri, and was founded in 1856.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
