From wine to spirits and water to beer, Platte County is home to an expanding beverage manufacturing sector which employs hundreds of people.
Breweries
Platte County is home to two of the top six area breweries, says the Kansas City Business Journal. On the list, Granite City, located in Zona Rosa, is ranked #3 while the Weston Brewing Co.is ranked #6.
Granite City Food & Brewery’s signature brews are made onsite and seasonal brews are available throughout the year. Granite City produced 17,003 barrels of beer in 2016 and its offerings include Broad Axe Stout; The Bennie; The Duke; The Northern and Oktoberfest.
Granite City Food & Brewery, 8461 N.W. Prairie View Rd., Kansas City, MO, 816-587-3838 gcfb.net
Weston Brewing Co. was first established in 1842 and was one of the first lager breweries in the US. The current Weston Brewing Company was reopened in 2005 and has created 13 different beers. In 2016, Weston Brewing Company brewed 4,000 barrels of beer including O’Malley’s Emerald Lager, O’Malley’s Festival Ale and O’Malley’s Cream Ale.
Weston Brewing Co., 500 Welt St., Weston, MO 64098, 816-640-5235 westonirish.com
Spirits
From one of the oldest distilleries in the US to spirits distilled in a cave, Platte County companies are making award-winning spirits.
Holladay Distillery opened in 1856 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The company’s products are available across the US and in 78 countries. In 2016, the company reopened a new welcome center with a retail shop and tasting room. The original stillhouse from 1856 has been restored and has new distillation equipment for modern-day bourbon making. In December 2015, Holladay started making bourbon for the first time in 30 years. The distillery now has 180 employees.
Holladay Distillery, 1 Mc Cormick Ln, Weston, MO 64098, 816-640-3056 holladaydistillery.com
SD Strong Distilling began production of craft vodka and gin in the Park University Underground in 2012 and has since added rye whiskey to their products. The vodka is filtered 16 and SD Strong’s gin won a gold medal at the Washington Cup Competition for excellence in American-made spirits. In fall of 2016, Strong produced its first batch of rye whiskey.
SD Strong Distilling, 8500 NW River Park Dr #136a, Parkville, MO 64152 sdstrongdistilling.com
Wine
Platte County’s two wineries ranked in the top six in the Kansas City Business Journal’s recent list of the Top Area Wineries.
Pirtle Winery is a family-owned winery which opened in 1978. Pirtle produced the most wine in the region in 2016 and topped the Kansas City Business Journal’s list of Top Area Wineries. Last year, Pirtle produced 76,000 bottles of wine. The winery makes 22 varieties of wine including dry, semi-dry reds and whites, fruit wines and meads.
Pirtle Winery, 502 Spring St., Weston, MO 64098, 816-640-5728 pirtlewinery.com
Jowler Creek began making wine commercially in 2005. The winery uses green technologies, such as solar power, to make its wine and sheep to control weeds and chickens to reduce insects in its 6-acre sustainable vineyard. Jowler Creek produced 40,000 bottles of wine in 2016 and its eight varieties are Chambourcin, Norton, Traminette, Vignoles, Butterfly Blush, Red Cock-a-Doodle-Do, Muskrato and Nort.
Jowler Creek Vineyard & Winery, 16905 Jowler Creek Rd., Platte City, MO 64079, 816-858-5528 jowlercreek.com
Water
Platte County is home to a growing water bottling facility which employs more than 100 people.
Premium Waters opened its new, 165,000-square-foot facility in Riverside Horizons in 2012, and three years later underwent a 105,000 square foot expansion to help house some of the 22 million cases of bottled water produced onsite each year. Premium Waters supplies its bottled water to customers all within a 400-mile radius and its employees numbers sit at 120, up from 85 when it first opened. The operation is now in production 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Premium Waters, 4301 N Mattox Rd, Riverside, MO 64150, 816- 801-6900 premiumwaters.com
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