Courtesy of StilL 630
Confluence American Gin, one of three gins distilled by St. Louis–owned and -operated StilL 630, was recently named “Best Craft Gin in the Country” by the American Distilling Institute, according to a release. The American Distilling Institute's 2023 International Spirits Competition had over 850 entries from 23 countries. In the craft gin division, Confluence bested 150 gins from across the United States and beyond.
“Being named the best in class or category is an honor,” says StilL 630 owner David Weglarz. “Being named best in the country is something else, incredibly humbling.” The award-winning gin be available for wide distribution across the state (as well as to states and countries where it’s legal to ship it) by the end of May.
The Gin Program
Courtesy of StilL 630
Locally owned Twinkle Brews upcycles StilL630's empty spirits bottles into aromatic soy wax candles.
StilL 630 has three gins currently in production: Volstead’s Folly, American Navy Strength, and Confluence American Gin (a rebranding of its Two Step Gin).
"Since nearby Collinsville is "The Horseradih Capital of the World," we wanted that to be part of the new focus," Weglarz says. "We took the juniper/coriander base, added horseradish, pink peppercorns, and then some galangal root, which is slightly citrusy and peppery."
Confluence is not the first gin to win a Best in the Country award, says Weglarz. “We’ve had some success with gin,” he says. “American Navy Strength was named “Best Craft Gin in the Country” in 2020, but the announcement and hoopla was mitigated due to concerns about the pandemic.
Courtesy of StilL 630
“Confluence is our latest and greatest,” he continues, adding that supply shouldn’t be a problem. From a production standpoint, gin is different than whiskey, in that it doesn’t require years of aging. “Generally, gin has no aging component,” says Weglarz. “Making gin is a two-week process. First, we buy an organic, wheat-based, 190-proof neutral spirit—the only thing we don’t make—and infuse that with botanicals by weight, a similar process as when steeping tea. We infuse for a day, redistill it, and then proof it down to bottling strength." That's 81 proof in the case of Confluence, “only because I was born in 1981,” Weglarz notes, “just to be special and different. At StilL 630, we try to think through every detail.”
h Capital of the World" is located in our backyard, we wanted to focus on incorporating that into the gin. So building off a base of Juniper and Coriander, we added Horseradish and then Pink Peppercorns and Galangal Root to bolster the citrus and savory body while adding a touch of peppery spice.
The Whiskey Program
Courtesy of StilL 630
StilL 630 has earned regional and national acclaim across all categories. In 2016, Double Barrel RallyPoint whiskey was named Best in Class by the American Crafts Spirits Association. Two years later, its 5-year RallyPoint Rye Whiskey took home the same honor.
“We’re the only distillery that’s won the American Crafts Spirits Association best whiskey in class in the country two times,” he says. Every spirit that StilL 630 has produced has won a medal at competitions, Weglarz notes, adding that he believes that makes it “the most awarded distillery in Missouri and one of the top four in the U.S.”
One of the reasons for Weglarz’ success was the launch of an experimental spirits program, where devotees can taste and evaluate potential new products, providing valuable information used while formulating the spirit. “Honest feedback is something producers never get enough of,” he says. “Every Friday, visitors to StilL 630 can get a taste of the latest offering and let us know what they think.” (A list of classic and rotating specialty cocktails are available on Friday evenings as well.)
Courtesy of StilL 630
The experimental spirit program (one of three such programs) has launched one product per month for the past five years. Three-bottle sets of past releases are available on the website. (For the curious, a complete 60-bottle, five-year set of experimental spirits is available for $1,630.) “We have enough recipes and ideas to continue the program in perpetuity, should we want to,” Weglarz says. “We just released number 65 this month.”
Next on Weglarz’ docket: StilL 630 Day on June 24. The 11th anniversary party will be catered by Bogart’s and showcase the company’s first five-year rum, “but the headliner will be the best craft gin in the country,” Weglarz says.
The Background
Weglarz was working as a trader in Chicago when his love for spirits overtook his love for stocks and equities. After some schooling and an apprenticeship in Washington, he moved to St. Louis, where his wife grew up. Following his passion, he opened StilL 630 in 2013 at 1000 4th Street and started a family at the same time. (He and his wife, Sidni, now have three children.)
The name and logo have obvious ties to St. Louis (the Arch is both 630 feet high as well as wide) and Weglarz chose “Indomitable Spirits” as a tag line because of the obvious play on words. “The journey has been trial and error, figuring a way through,” he says. “The only reason we’re still here is because of our indomitable spirit and spirits.”
In 2019, Weglarz was instrumental in helping pass a bill into law making Missouri bourbon an official whiskey category. Missouri bourbon mandates that the contents be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled in the state. The corn used must be from Missouri, and the distill must be aged in oak barrels manufactured in the state. (Kentucky and Tennessee also have specific criteria for their spirits.)
Courtesy of StilL 630
Currently, Weglarz is president of the Missouri Craft Distillers Guild, its second president. “I hope to have a much better reputation than John Adams,” he quips. As the owner of one of the oldest distilleries in Missouri, he says, “Life is too short not to go after something epic and great.” He adds that his vision is “grander and greater than me and has to grow beyond me and my lifetime.”
In the meantime, he says, “I get to keep doing what I love, share it with people I love, and love that it’s a small part of the awesome city of St. Louis," he adds. "I want people to think of the Arch, the Cardinals, and StilL 630, not necessarily in that order.”
