OUR HISTORY

Creating Beautiful Sipping Whiskeys with a Story.

The West Bottoms of Kansas City is where the city truly began.

Positioned at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, this region served as a vital trading post for early trappers and pioneers. As population and technology advanced, so did the importance of this historic district.

the 1800S
Historical blue informational sign about the Lewis and Clark expedition at Kaw Point dated June 26 to 29, 1804, mentioning their journey, activities, and key figures, located outdoors with trees in the background.
A watercolor painting of a river scene with a steamship docked by the riverbank, surrounded by people picnicking, walking, and engaging in outdoor activities on a grassy hillside. The background shows lush green landscape with dense trees.
Historical patent drawing for a still for whiskey and spirits with detailed diagrams and inventor's signature.

The arrival of the Transcontinental Railroad ushered in a new pre-prohibition era in Kansas City.

This brought electricity, the telegraph, automobiles, and telephones to the region—sparking a boom like never before. Manufacturing took hold, housing giants like John Deere and Oliver Tractor, and the area became home to the second-largest stockyards in the U.S., processing and shipping cattle and hogs for eastern markets.

1860-1880s
An old black and white photograph of a steam locomotive with large wheels, a prominent chimney, and a small man standing next to it.
Black and white photo of cattle in a stockyard with a wooden walkway and urban buildings in the background.
A detailed topographic and urban planning map of a city area showing streets, waterways, bridges, and land contour lines, with markings and annotations in red and green.

The Industrial Age is what inspired our fictional forefather Murdock.

He is a symbol of the grit, vision, and work ethic of the time. The top hat and monocle pay homage to the titans of the Gilded Age (Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Henry Ford), while his mechanical jaw honors the thousands of laborers who powered America forward.

A black and white illustration of a person wearing a top hat adorned with an 'X' and 'C' symbols, with gears and mechanical elements inside the head and a face mask. 
1880-1910's
Historic black-and-white photograph of a group of men in formal attire, including top hats and suits, gathered outdoors, engaging in conversation. Prominent man with a white beard and serious expression is in the center.
Workers in a winery cellar engaged in wine barrel processing, with numerous wooden barrels arranged in rows in a historic industrial setting.

Despite multiple devastating floods the West Bottoms remained resilient.

After decades of dormancy, a new wave of passionate entrepreneurs began to return—drawn by the district’s raw history and authenticity. 

1920's On
A flooded city street with debris, damaged buildings, and standing water, in black and white.
Vintage colored photograph of a large brick building labeled 'Stock Exchange' in Kansas City, Missouri, with an American flag on top, surrounded by early 20th-century cars and construction area.
A cityscape featuring multiple brick and concrete commercial buildings with a background of greenery and distant hills.
A vintage newspaper article from December 5, 1933, discussing the end of Prohibition in Ohio, featuring images of a bar scene with barrels, bottles, and a woman smoking. Titles include "Prohibition Ends at Last" and "14 Year Dry Era Over."

“I don’t like whiskey, but I would drink this.”

In 2021, our founder Alex Lindsey launched his flagship custom-blended Kansas City Whiskey inside a train tunnel built in 1893.

Family of 3 at posing for a picture at the whiskey distillery.

Since then, Alex and his wife Cassandra have expanded their portfolio to three distinct premium blended whiskeys, fostering excitement and renewal in the pre-Prohibition area where their namesake whiskey began. 

They both have a deep passion for whiskey and a strong historical identity and strongly believe in the idea of whiskey as a story, with each drop carrying a piece of history. 

2021 - present
Copper still used for distilling alcohol, with a rounded body, bulging top, and attached pipe, placed on concrete blocks in a distillation room.
Wooden sign with a skeleton wearing a top hat, advertising West Bottoms Whiskey Co., with smaller signs reading Distillery, Tails, hanging below.
Smiling man standing behind a rustic wooden bar with various bottles and a chalkboard sign that reads "Welcome to West Bottoms Whiskey Co." in a warmly lit bar or brewery setting.