Deep in the belly of Parkville’s Commercial Underground sits a room filled with ominous copper machines, tanks, tubs and barrels. Next to them are copper pumps and valves that cover the cave wall. Mysterious liquid stains cover everything else. In the corner, a stack of whiskey barrels age silently.
In the opposite corner, a pair of tables hosts a gang of stout glass bottles, caps, hoses and pumps. Steve Strong, a man sporting brown jeans, wingtips and a collared shirt sits at the table, injecting clear bottles with clearer vodka. A low dynamite blast rumbles through the cave; a chunk of rock falls from the ceiling.
Welcome to S.D. Strong distillery, America’s only distillery legally housed in a cave. Founded in August 2012 by Strong and his wife Lisa, S.D. Strong is one of Missouri’s four micro-distilleries and is currently distributed in over 80 restaurants, stores and bars in the Kansas City area.
“Before all this I was playing in a rock-a-billy band with a guy who made moonshine,” says Strong. “I thought, if he could do it I could do it. I started playing with recipes and began to believe it was possible. Then I saw the mountain of legal paperwork and got discouraged.”
Strong says his wife encouraged him to prepare everything possible that was free before investing money. In the process, a Platte County fire marshal recommended that Strong set up shop in the Parkville Commercial Underground, which is located on the Park University main campus, for its optimum sprinkler system.
“It came to a point where we said, ‘here we are’,” says Strong. “My wife said if we didn’t do it, we’d wonder or whole lives whether or not we should have done it.”
For the next year and one-half, Strong read books, surfed the internet, made phone calls and emails, visited distilleries and attended conferences to learn how to make spirits. He then signed a three-year lease in the Parkville Commercial Underground, designed a still with an artisan in Maine, purchased a mash tun and heat exchanger, filed paper work and applied for a distilling license.
“The whole process started from scratch,” says Strong. “And we’ve had tons of help. I’ve gotten people to help me bottle, design the labels and posters, etc. I’ve also had attorneys help free of charge. My wife also does all the marketing; we’re half and half on the project as a whole.”
On March 29, 2013, S.D. Strong sold their first bottle of Vodka. Now several of S.D. Strong’s distributors include Nick and Jakes, The Rusty Horse Tavern, Rancho Grande and the Green Lady Lounge. Strong’s Vodka also recently earned a silver award at the Washington Cup, a spirits competition judged by Doug Frost, who is one of three individuals in the world who is simultaneously a Master of Wine and a Master Sommelier.
“The first large batch we made did not go smoothly,” says Strong. “I think we spilt more on the ground than we got into the tank. We also blew up a pump because of temperature issues. We had started at 5 that evening and I got home at two in the morning. I was seriously concerned and depressed.
“I remember thinking, what have I got myself into? The next day we came in and tightened things up, and everything was fine. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but they’re helpful because you learn what not to do. I’ve finely got it down to a process where I pretty much know what I’m doing.”
Strong says the art of distillery is a work in progress.
“You certainly can never know enough though,” he says. “It’s like playing an instrument. I’ve played guitar since I was 14 and I still feel like a beginner. There are times when I see people play and say ‘God, I wish I could be half as good as him.’ It’s the same with distilling, I’m blown away by guys who are experts.
“What I’ve also found about distilling is that it’s a lot like making music or recording. I’ve visited 15 to 20 distilleries, and there are as many ways to do it as there are opinions. Everyone has a little different way of doing it; there’s no right or wrong way.”
Strong says part of the reason he became a distiller was to enjoy a profession he was passionate about.
“It sounds so cliché but I’ve always wanted to be involved with something I was interested in, so it wouldn’t ever feel like work,” he says. “I used to sell power tools and I hated it, so I started selling music gear. That lead me to working with Martin guitars, who I still work for. I got into this whole project because I just wanted to sell something cool…My hopes for this whole thing, is that people in Kansas City embrace what we’re doing.”
