rieger whiskey tour

Sunday, 3.31.24, the distillery will be closed in observance of the Easter holiday.

THE HERITAGE TOUR

1 hour | $20 (21+); $10 (under 21 or non-drinker).

Join us for a one-hour guided tour of J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City’s original distillery, located in the historic Electric Park! Your tour concludes with a tasting of our four core spirits led by one of our knowledgeable guides.

THE WHISKEY TOUR

1 hour | $40 (21+ only).

This one-hour guided tour of J. Rieger & Co. features a deeper dive into our most prominent spirits programs – whiskey! Your tour concludes with a tasting of four of our favorite whiskeys led by a knowledgeable guide.

THE SIGNATURE TOUR

2 hours | $125 (21+ only).

A senior member of our team leads this two-hour guided tour at J. Rieger & Co. Tour includes an in-depth look at our ever-expanding whiskey program, light appetizers, a tasting of seven of our favorite whiskeys, and a curated gift bag.

Advance booking is strongly encouraged as tours tend to sell out. For private tour inquiries, please email [email protected]

GETTING HERE:

• Our distillery is located at 2700 Guinotte Ave. in the Electric Park neighborhood of Kansas City.  (We are  NOT  at 1924 Main St. That is the historic Rieger Hotel building.  Read  about our shared history.) ‍ • Allow extra travel time as we are located directly next to active train tracks. Follow the Electric Park detour signs should you get stuck at a train crossing. • Complimentary parking is located on the west side of the building.

PREPARE FOR YOUR VISIT

(please read carefully).

• Closed toe shoes are required – this is for your safety, as you will be on a very active distillery production floor. No exceptions will be made.
• If you are not present at the time of your tour, a refund will not be issued.
• Proper photo ID is required at the time of check-in
• Please check in at our front desk no less than 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled tour time. All tours will begin promptly at their scheduled start time.
• Photos are allowed to be taken throughout the building, but flash photography is prohibited.
• All persons must sign a liability waiver before beginning the tour.
• Be advised that visitors will be walking/standing for about 30 minutes during the tour. Our distillery is ADA accessible.
• The barrel rickhouse and production floor are NOT climate controlled, and thus may be warm or cold depending on the season and the weather. Please plan accordingly.

J Rieger Distillery Tour & Tasting (Kansas City’s Original Distillery)

Last updated on March 3rd, 2023 at 06:37 am.

J Rieger & Co. is located in Kansas City’s West Bottoms. This is Kansas City, Missouri’s first distillery since Prohibition, and represents the revival of Kansas City whiskey.

We’ve seen plenty of new breweries opening across Kansas City  in recent years, but the growth of the city’s craft spirits scene has been decidedly slower, especially compared to other cities.

Table of Contents

J Rieger Craft Spirits — Kansas City’s Original Distillery

That is quickly changing thanks in large part to pioneering spirits-maker J Rieger & Co. — which opened its East Bottoms distillery doors in 2014 as the first distillery in Kansas City since the repeal of Prohibition.

History of J Rieger

Here’s the story of how J Rieger & Co. blew down the craft spirits door in KCMO:

Originally established by Jacob Rieger in 1887 in Kansas City’s West Bottoms Livestock Exchange district, J Rieger & Co. was the largest mail-order whiskey house in the united states prior to the onset of federal prohibition in 1920. Its core product line was whiskey, but the distillery was closed due to the onset of Prohibition.

Present-day co-founders Andy Rieger, the great-great-great grandson of Jacob Rieger and Ryan Maybee, Kansas City bartender & entrepreneur, reestablished the brand in 2014. They have successfully opened the first legal distillery in Kansas City, Missouri since Prohibition and feature the flavors of Kansas City Whiskey as well as craft spirits favorites like vodka and gin.

Fun Fact: J. Rieger & Co. was the largest mail-order whiskey house in the united states prior to the onset of federal prohibition in 1920.

J Rieger & Co. is a state-of-the-art facility that includes a museum, on-site distillery, store with J Rieger & Co. merchandise, lounge, bar, restaurant, and a really fun indoor slide.

The building has been included on the National Register of Historic Places in Kansas City, MO.

Enjoy a guided tour around Kansas City’s first distillery. Enjoy tastings of whiskey, vodka, gin, and more on the tour or in the Monogram Lounge with their impressive array of craft cocktail samplings.

A first-time visit to J Rieger & Co. should include a tour and tasting, a visit to the museum, and then heading upstairs to the Monogram Lounge to enjoy a cocktail and food. Plan for at least 3 hours if you want the full experience!

Kansas City Whiskey History

In 1881, the state of Kansas became the first state to outlaw the sale and consumption of alcohol. Jacob Rieger opened the J. Rieger & Co. whiskey distributorship in 1887 in Kansas City’s West Bottoms (just blocks from the Kansas border).

The West Bottoms neighborhood, which is located on the Missouri side of the state line, quickly became known as “The Wettest Block in the World”. In the late 1800s, Kansas City’s West Bottoms livestock exchange district was also located here. Kansas citizens would cross the state line to drink, dance, and gamble. This is one of the reasons J. Rieger & Co. became one of the largest whiskey distributors in the country.

Of course, Federal Prohibition caused all distilleries to close their doors in or around 1920.

Fun Fact: Advent of Prohibition — The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors.

J Rieger & Co. distillery Tour

The J Rieger & Co. tour starts with a 10-minute movie that shares an overview of the 150-year history of J. Rieger, Kansas City whiskey history as well as an overview of Kansas City, Missouri pre-prohibition.

Before prohibition, the West Bottoms neighborhood of Kansas City was known as the “Wettest block in the world”. During this time, twenty-five saloons and liquor retailers occupied most of this area.

The tour continues to the distillery production floor where a guide shares all kinds of interesting information about the process of making spirits, which in many ways is similar to how beer is made.

Whole grain & hot boiling water is put into a hopper, later cooled with a cool coil mechanism, then yeast is added. There is a day for it to mill, a day to mash, and then off it goes to the fermentation tank and finally two copper distillations.

During the tour, I learned that it takes four years to make whiskey and five years to make rye and bourbon. It’s not a quick process like vodka or gin, that only takes a few weeks.

Barrel Rickhouse

After visiting the distillery floor, the tour continues in the barrel room. Very reminiscent of a wine barrel room, the Rickhouse space is stacked with more than 3,000 aging barrels of whiskey.

Within the barrel warehouse, is an event space called Jacob’s Barrel Room. The room’s glass walls look out onto a 360-degree view of hundreds of whiskey barrels.

Rieger Whiskey

What sets J Rieger & Co. apart as Kansas City whiskey is the use of American white oak barrels that are charred inside and used for the aging process as well as the addition of Sherry.

Nathan Perry is the head distiller at J Rieger & Co. Previously he was a microbiologist at Boulevard Brewing Co. He has chosen to make Rieger Whiskey the way they did pre-prohibition.

Because of the length of time it takes whiskey to age, they began by using sourced Whiskey and added Sherry. This was quite common pre-Prohibition when J. Rieger & Co. first opened.

J Rieger Kansas City Whiskey contains straight Rye, light corn, and a blend of straight bourbon whiskey, in addition to the Sherry, which truly makes it unlike anything else out there.

2021 Edition Monogram Straight Rye Whiskey Oloroso Bota

The 2021 Monogram whiskey release is 100% Straight Rye Whiskey finished for nearly 6 years in an old Oloroso sherry Solera Botas from the WiIliams & Humbert Solera Especial. 

It is worthy to note, that the Monogram Whiskey label has been created in collaboration with the Rieger distillery team and sherry expert Steve Olson.

Fun Fact: Sherry is fortified wine of Spanish origin that typically has a distinctive nutty flavor. It takes its name from the province of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain, which is the oldest producers of sherry.

Previous releases of Rieger iconic Monogram Whiskey are 2017, 2018 & 2020. Both the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Rieger’s Monogram were named in the top ten Global Best New Spirit in the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Spirited Awards.

Rieger and Co also make a few additional spirits beyond their famous whiskey. They distill a Midwestern Dry Gin. They describe it as London dry style gin that is Juniper forward.

But, it’s really about what’s behind the gin that makes it most interesting and delicious. That is Tom Nichol, who was Master Distiller of Tanqueray for the bulk of his career before he began consulting for Rieger.

It takes between two to three weeks to make a batch of gin or vodka. 

Whiskey, Vodka, & Gin Tasting

After a visit to the barrel warehouse, it’s time to head to the tasting room and try the J. Rieger spirits. The tasting takes place in a beautiful bright room with Reiger Whiskey memorabilia.

The tasting consists of four spirits.

From left to right, the tasting starts with vodka, then moves to gin, then the iconic American whiskey, and finally, Caffe Amaro.

• Vodka is silky creamy, smooth
• Gin is a Midwest dry gin. Musty earthy with citrus & licorice. Highest proof liquor. 
• Kansas City Whiskey has sherry on the nose. Spice notes from rye.
• Caffe Amaro has a bitter taste with coffee & chocolate notes. It also has hints of star anise & spearmint and finishes with a hint of ginger.  

After tasting the four spirits, we then mixed the whiskey and Caffe amaro to make a black Manhattan. If you make it at home, just add a bit of sweet vermouth! 

Stages of Tasting a Spirit

• Close your eyes
• Sip & coat entire mouth
• Breath out you nose. 

J. Rieger, to the best of my knowledge, was the first time I’ve ever tasted whiskey. I am allergic to gluten and always thought that because whiskey is often made with gluten-containing grains that I would have an allergic reaction.

So, Can celiacs Drink Whiskey?

According to beyondceliac.org , distilled whiskey, even if made with wheat, barley, or rye is considered gluten-free. They say that most whiskeys are safe for people with celiac disease because of the distillation process.

J Rieger Museum

The museum and the historical exhibit is on the main floor of the distillery and is free to visit. The space shares the 130+ year history of the distillery as well as the history of distilling and brewing in Kansas City with displays, memorabilia, and placards sharing all details about each exhibit.

Monogram Lounge

The Monogram Lounge is located on the second floor and includes a bar, restaurant, and shuffleboard. The lounge serves cocktails, beer, wine, and food.

Above I said the lounge serves food. That is an understatement. The reality is that the Monogram Lounge, led by Executive Chef Jordan Hayes is putting out deliciously complex flavors with approachable shareable plates.

The bar offers classic cocktails like a martini, mule, and old fashioned as well as clever only at J. Rieger creations. Of course, all cocktails are made with J. Rieger spirits! Also available are beer, wine, sodas, and seltzer.

J. Rieger Distillery Kansas City Tours & Tastings Info

Everything about J. Rieger is fun, tasty and filled with history!

Address: The distillery is located in the Electric Park neighborhood of the East Bottoms in Kansas City, Missouri at 2700 Guinotte Avenue.

Hours: Wed-Thurs 12pm – 10pm, Fri-Sat 12pm – 12am, ‍Sunday 12pm – 8pm

J Rieger Happy Hour: Wednesday-Friday 3-5pm

Distills: Midwestern Dry Gin, Kansas City Whiskey, Premium Wheat Vodka, Caffè Amaro.

Tours: 45-minute guided tours of J. Rieger & Co., distillery are offered Wednesday-Sunday.. $5 per person for tour & $15 per person for tour and tasting. Please bring a valid photo ID.

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The Heritage Tour

Join us for a one-hour guided tour of J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City’s original distillery, located in the historic Electric Park! Your tour concludes with a 15-minute tasting of our four core spirits led by one of our knowledgeable guides.

• Duration: 60 Minutes (approx.)

The Whiskey Tour

This one-hour guided tour of J. Rieger & Co. features a deeper dive into our most prominent spirits programs – whiskey! Your tour concludes with a 15-minute tasting of four of our favorite whiskeys led by a knowledgeable guide.

The Signature Tour

A senior member of our team leads this two-hour guided tour at J. Rieger & Co. Tour includes an in-depth look at our ever-expanding whiskey program, light appetizers, a tasting of seven of our favorite whiskeys, and a curated gift bag.

• Duration: 120 Minutes (approx.)

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Distillery Tour

• The tour will conclude with a tasting of our four core products led by one of our knowledgeable guides.
• Entry/Admission - Kansas City
• J. Rieger & Co., 2700 Guinotte Ave, Kansas City, MO 64120, USA Meet us at the front desk to check in your tour and receive your tour lanyard!
• Wheelchair accessible
• Stroller accessible
• Service animals allowed
• Infant seats available
• Transportation is wheelchair accessible
• Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Most travelers can participate
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

Similar experiences

• You'll start at J. Rieger & Co. 2700 Guinotte Ave, Kansas City, MO 64120, USA Meet us at the front desk to check in your tour and receive your tour lanyard! See address & details
• 1 J. Rieger & Co. Stop: 60 minutes - Admission included Join us for a one-hour guided tour of J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City’s iconic distillery, located in the historic Electric Park neighborhood of the East Bottoms district. Discover the history of our brand, from its founding during the wild and raucous years when the city boasted “the wettest block in the world”, to its premature demise at the dawn of Prohibition, and eventual revival in 2014, nearly a century later. Enjoy extensive access to each phase of the distillation process, from grain to bottle. The tour will conclude with a tasting of our four core products led by one of our knowledgeable guides. Please note, reservations are not required but they are recommended. For reservations please see the link below. Read more
• You'll return to the starting point

• AJ F 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Alex is awesome, so are the drinks! The bartender, Alex, was amazing. The food was top-notch, but the drinks were out of this world. Highly recommend going to the upstairs bar, asking for Alex, and trying to drink your way through the menu. You will not be disappointed. Read more Written December 2, 2023
• HoneyShawnee 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Love it! Great place!! Jackson our server went above and beyond! Food was great! Atmosphere excellent. Love Sunday brunch and drinks. Read more Written January 17, 2021
• U7635IKlaurak 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles Good times had by all.... This historical building is gorgeous! We booked a tour, but arrived as a large party a couple hours beforehand to enjoy food and bevs. The food was very good, and the cocktails superb. Our young server was very nice, but inexperienced. We had to chase him down for service a couple of times, and I noticed him hanging around the bar chatting up other servers like it was the water cooler at the office. That being said, we had a lovely time. The decor is gorgeous. The tour was very good, although our guide seemed to be new. He wasn’t very sure of himself on facts or answering questions. The coolest part of the tour is the 10 minute video showing the history of the Reiger and it’s roots to KC. Read more Written January 5, 2020
• 245debrak 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Good times Looking to enjoy the afternoon? This place has good drinks and a slide to leave. I’d say the slide is a highlight. Read more Written December 28, 2019
• hartmann19 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles Super venue Love the floors- all the couches & long bars. Private event on the 2nd floor in the Monogram Lounge. Downstairs is the exhibit of their timeline. The best is the huge slide you can take downstairs...Fun Fun! Great place for a party- once you finally find it! Read more Written December 8, 2019
• Jcb1316 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fun Tour! They just celebrated their 5th anniversary however, their history goes back to the 1800’s. Beautifully repurposed building with impressive decor and state of the art distillery. You will learn why Kansas City Whiskey is unique. Additionally their Vodka and Gin was excellent. The educational tour ended with a tasting in a nice conference room with interesting commentary from our guide. Read more Written December 6, 2019
• Tim d 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Interesting and wonderful products If you're looking for a climate controlled tasting room and/or a tour in which the various attributes of a particular distillery are extolled, then this is not for you. This is a distillery that is clearly starting out. There is no tasting room. There is a tasting space (a board over two barrels covered with a black cloth, clothing and some other related products. We were there in the summer and the warehouse was open to the parking lot. One of the workers saw us standing there, informed us of the lack of tours, and then offered to give samples. We enjoyed the whiskey and the Caffe Amaro. (The latter is a liqueur flavored with botanicals and coffee - my wife, the coffee drinker in the family did not care for it, but it grew on me.) They also make distill left over beer from Boulevard Brewing Co., but only when Boulevard has it available. At the time we were there, there was none available. We enjoyed our brief time there. The whiskey is quite good and we bought a couple of bottles. If you were to go, it probably would be best to call ahead given the working nature of the location. This is NOT a location for small children. Read more Written August 17, 2018

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Distillery Tour provided by J. Rieger & Co.

One Missouri Company Puts the Whiskey Before the Distillery. And It's Really Paying Off.

It started as just a distillery, making and bottling whiskey in Kansas City, Mo. Yet in early July, J. Rieger & Co. will expand into a boozy theme park, bursting at the seams with multiple bars, event spaces, spots for daytime coffee and coworking, and notably a 40-foot-long metal slide to hurtle revelers from a second-level bar to a ground-floor gift shop.

This is exactly the opposite of how most craft distilleries ramp up nowadays. Many open sprawling guest experiences designed to bring in income while waiting for whiskey or other spirits to age—in essence, running before they walk.

“Honestly, it was never in our immediate business plan,” says Lucy Rieger, the brand director for J. Rieger & Co., of the expansion. “But since day one, it’s the number-one thing we get asked: Can we come see it? Do you have tours?”

In fact, she says, when the brand launched in 2014 as an offbeat Kansas City whiskey , meaning it was made with a measure of sherry, the owners deliberately avoided setting up a visitor center. They worried that a “guest experience” would signal that they weren’t serious about the spirit. “We didn’t want people to associate us with the building,” says Rieger. “We wanted to train people to buy us at the store like any other brand; we wanted to focus on the distribution side.”

Five years later, the portfolio has stacked up strong reviews, including Caffè amaro, an unusual amaro made with coffee (regarded as a bartender favorite); Midwestern dry gin, a London dry style made with gin legend Tom Nichol, formerly of Tanqueray; and Monogram, a limited-edition whiskey finished in sherry butts, now out of stock.

“Now we have a good legitimate brand, and [a visitor center] won’t distract from the brand; it will enhance it,” says Rieger. “We sacrificed those retail margins upfront, but we were thinking long-term.”

Sneak Peek of the Space

A hard-hat tour of the space-in-progress reveals how far the enterprise has come since 2009, when bartender Ryan Maybee opened Manifesto, a speakeasy-style space beneath Kansas City’s Rieger . Back then, he had spotted a long-faded billboard on the wall outside advertising “Kansas City whiskey.” A research deep-dive led Maybee to discover that the family behind the hotel, starting with Jacob Rieger, had once operated a distillery, as well as the largest mail-order whiskey house in the country, both shuttered during Prohibition.

When the hotel opened the following year, Andy Rieger, the great-great-great-grandson of Jacob Rieger, stopped by to wish Maybee luck and received an earful about his family’s whiskey biz. Though he lived in Dallas at the time, where he was working in the investment banking industry, he eventually moved back to Kansas City, where they partnered on building the brand.

When the J. Rieger brand launched in 2014, it was never meant to be regional. The bottles were almost immediately visible on the shelves at high-end bars and liquor stores in major metropolitan markets, even when supply was limited. It helped to have a well-regarded bartender on the start-up team. Looking back, that quietly built a cult status that a huge, splashy launch wouldn’t have accomplished.

Today, the payoff is evident. When completed, the new expanded facility will quintuple production and double warehouse capacity to hold 5,000 barrels. Two new stills have been brought in, including a soaring 28-foot-high column still that makes a striking centerpiece for the production facility. Production is slated to start June 10, a full month before the distillery opens to the public.

To accomplish this, Reiger purchased the historic Heim Brewery Bottling building, built in 1901, located next door to the existing distillery. The combined space encompasses 60,000 square feet. In the middle of the warehouse, Rieger is erecting a climate-controlled, glass-walled dining room called Jacob’s Barrel, where guests can host events with a 360-degree view of the barrels. It’s a “fun little hidden gem,” says Lucy Rieger. Other highlights will include a hands-on historical exhibit, a “filling station” for guests to bottle Kansas City whiskey, a tasting room with a white marble bar that looks into the distillery production area, and a 20-seat conference room.

Bring on the Bars

But perhaps fittingly, for a distillery driven by a bartender’s curiosity, the in-house bar program is expected to be the primary draw. Andrew Olsen, formerly of Bluestem , was brought in as beverage director. On the second floor, the Monogram Lounge will overlook the distillery production area and will focus on draft cocktails made with Rieger spirits. The sprawling windowed space can accommodate up to 200 people (and will be open for coworking and coffee service during daytime hours), with eight taps to pour drinks kegged in the basement area. This is also where the famous slide can transport guests to the gift shop below.

In the basement, the much smaller, deliberately darker Hey! Hey! Club will feature live jazz acts, a fireplace and cocktails made with a wide range of spirits (not just Rieger products). Cocktails on draft won’t be served here, but K.C. Bier Co. is crafting an exclusive Heim beer, a German-style lager replica that will be on draft and will be the only beer served. “It’s a nod to where we came from,” says Rieger.

A Clinebell machine and a dedicated ice-cutting room in the basement will provide ice for all the bars on the site, which eventually will include a third bar space: a massive outdoor beer-garden-like space that can accommodate a whopping 500 people. Festooned with vintage light bulbs, the outdoor space will be called the Electric Park Garden Bar. The name pays homage to the Electric Park amusement park constructed by Heim in 1899, adjacent to its brewery. (It was later moved across town and is noted for inspiring a young Walt Disney.)

Of note, Rieger is petitioning to have the neighborhood, currently called East Bottoms, renamed Electric Park District, as a way to help spur development around the distillery. It’s impressive enough to recognize that a whiskey brand helped build the distillery and a sprawling “guest experience” around it. But it’s downright astonishing to think of whiskey as a foundation for rebuilding an entire neighborhood.

“In 10 years, it will really be something,” says Rieger in a wistful tone, looking out a second-floor window still finely coated with a layer of construction zone sawdust. “We have a very long-term vision for this.”

J. Rieger & Co. 2023 Monogram Kansas City Whiskey Solera Reserve

OVERALL RATING

Whiskey Review: J. Rieger & Co. 2023 Monogram Kansas City Whiskey Solera Reserve

• by Suzanne Bayard
• August 29, 2023

Tasting Notes:

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. This in no way, per our editorial policies , influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking  the buy link  in this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.  

J. Rieger’s in Kansas City, Missouri, is reviving a pre-Prohibition style of whiskey production and experimenting with aging practices from historic Sherry production. Today, I’m sampling the latest edition of their Sherry-influenced whiskey: the J. Rieger & Co. 2023 Monogram Kansas City Whiskey Solera Reserve .

We are living in an exciting moment in American whiskey production: entrepreneurs are reviving old distilleries that were shut somewhere between Prohibition and the mid-20th century. The fruits of these labors are coming to our Glencairns now. This isn’t just a Kentucky phenomenon; states less commonly associated with American whiskey are experiencing this renewal, too.

In 2014, Missouri was able to boast of its own revival experience when J. Rieger’s reopened after almost a century. Originally founded in 1887 and shuttered in 1919, a group that includes a descendent of the original founder, Jacob Rieger, and local bartender and restaurateur, Ryan Maybee , reopened J. Rieger’s. Dave Pickerell of Maker’s Mark, who passed away in 2018, provided guidance to the pair.

Before Prohibition, distilleries were taxed on spirits when distilled instead of when released to the public. Cash flow demanded whiskeys be released young, so distillers invented ways to give the impression of age. According to the distillery , one method was to add oxidized Sherry before bottling. To mimic this style, J. Rieger uses a method they call “Kansas City Style” for their flagship bottling. The distillery ages a blend of whiskeys for at least four years and adds William & Humbert’s 15-year-old Sherry. This Sherry is a lightly sweetened oloroso. This style of Sherry is fully oxidized and full-bodied with lush notes of dried fruits, toasted nuts, and bruised apples.

As a further twist, J. Rieger’s began finishing the same base that makes up the flagship in a Sherry solera system using Sherry casks. A traditional Sherry solera system is a form of fractional blending. The oldest barrels are where the liquid is drawn off for bottling. Only part of the contents is drawn off, and barrels are topped up using liquid from the next youngest barrels. This continues through however many levels are used. The youngest barrels receive the new vintage. In the case of this whiskey, the youngest finishing barrels receive the new stock of aged whiskey to join the solera.

The 2023 release includes a “blend of straight bourbon, straight rye, and light corn whiskey” from the distillery’s solera started in 2015. Finishing took place for up to four years in 500-liter oloroso Sherry casks. They sourced ten of these 50-100 year-old casks from the production line of Bodegas Williams & Humbert Oloroso Especial, the same Sherry used in their flagship bottling.

Tasting Notes: J. Rieger & Co. 2023 Monogram Kansas City Whiskey Solera Reserve

Vital Stats: Aged in new American oak and finished for up to four years in 50-100 year-old oloroso Sherry casks, 50% ABV, mash bill: undisclosed, SRP $130/ 750ml bottle.

Appearance: This is moderate amber in color with a brown undertone.

Nose: On first pour, the nose is sweet and caramel-forward. I pick up notes of snickerdoodle cookies with mini marshmallows, maple syrup, and graham crackers. The golden-brown-and-delicious notes start to fade within a few minutes. Since I tasted this blind, I was suddenly left wondering if I had mixed up glasses. This completely changed in the glass from bold caramel, to buttered popcorn, to sulfur and shoe polish. Revisiting a few days later, I found this to be profoundly impacted by the Sherry. It dominates layers of the aromatics, though suggestions of the base whiskey peek through occasionally.

Palate: On the palate, this is moderate in body with moderate astringency and a fiery finish. The flavors are mostly from the Sherry: toasted pecans, oxidized apple core, yellow peaches, and toasted coconut. Sipping, the shoe polish note comes through again with light notes of orchard fruits, lemon zest, and golden raisins.

The finish is long and lingering with notes of yellow plums, graham crackers, pencil shavings, and campfire smoke. Fortunately, the sulfur note has blown off after I allowed the bottle to sit undisturbed for several days. There was a thick swirl of precipitates in my sample bottle that settled to the bottom. Usually, I am not bothered by sediment, but this significantly altered the taste.

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J. Rieger & Co. Unveils ‘Fielder’s Choice’ Whiskey Collection in Collaboration With Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

(Photo: J. Rieger & Co.)

On Friday, the Kansas City, Missouri distillery J. Rieger & Co. announced it is teaming up with the Kansas City-based Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to release a collection of four whiskeys: the Fielder’s Choice Collection.

Each expression in the collection is named for a different Negro Leagues team, sports a collectible label design and comes in a custom box set. A portion of all sales from the collection will benefit the museum, which is the world’s only national museum dedicated to preserving the history of Black baseball and its impact on the U.S.

“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum is an icon of Kansas City and we are beyond honored to be partnering with our friends there on this collection of spirits,” J. Rieger & Co. co-founder Andy Rieger said in a news release. “We want to see the museum continue to flourish, preserving the incredible legacy of Negro Leagues baseball, for generations to come. Our entire team at J. Rieger & Co. is really excited about this collaboration, from the special whiskey expressions and collectible labels to the upcoming launch event at the distillery.”

Boxed sets containing all four whiskeys are available for pre-sale purchase. Additional quantities of the Kansas City Monarchs whiskey will be sold individually.

Breaking Down the J. Rieger & Co. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Fielder’s Choice Collection

Kansas city monarchs.

Named for Kansas City’s hometown team, the longest-running franchise in the history of the Negro leagues, this Kansas City Whiskey is finished in beer barrels from KC Bier Co. and bottled at 94 proof.

St. Louis Stars

Named for the St. Louis Stars, who won three league titles in four years from 1928 to 1931, this is what J. Rieger & Co. is hailing as its first “small-batch bourbon.” St. Louis Stars is bottled at 95 proof.

Chicago American Giants

This 100-proof light whiskey is named for what Rieger refers to as the “most dominant team in Black baseball in the early 1900s.” According to the distillery, this whiskey, which is distilled from 100% corn, has tasting notes of popcorn, caramel and peanut brittle — much like the popular baseball snack, cracker jack.

Homestead Grays

This small-batch straight rye whiskey is bottled at 100 proof and named for the Pittsburgh-based Homestead Grays, which won 10 league titles and the Negro World Series in 1943, 1944 and 1948.

Fielder’s Choice Collection Launch Party Info

J. Rieger & Co. will host a fundraising event and launch party for the collection. It will be open to the public and take place Feb. 21 at J. Rieger & Co.’s distillery at 2700 Guinotte Ave. in Kansas City.

Several traveling exhibits from the museum will be on display at the event, and a few “honored guest” will be in attendance.

Pre-purchased collector’s boxes will be available for pickup at the event. Any yunsold sets will be available for purchase on-site along with the additional Monarchs bottles.

“The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum would like to toast our friends at J. Rieger for partnering with us to celebrate the winning spirit of the Negro Leagues with this amazing commemorative collection of spirits and we look forward to the exciting launch,” NLBM President Bob Kendrick said.

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David Morrow is the Editor In Chief of Whiskey Raiders and has been with the company since September 2021. David has worked in journalism since 2015 and has had bylines at Sports Illustrated, Def Pen, the Des Moines Register and the Quad City Times. David holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Saint Louis University and a Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. When he’s not tasting the newest exciting whiskey releases, David enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, watching sports and traveling.

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