Tom's Town Distilling Co. carries on Kansas City's legacy of making craft spirits

By Sterling Sewell May 23, 2024

In the 1920s, at the height of Prohibition, Kansas City was called “Tom’s Town.”

Under the political control of Tom Pendergast, residents of Kansas City largely ignored Prohibition laws, fueling a booming nightlife and the city’s legendary jazz history.

When asked to justify ignoring Prohibition, Pendergast said, “The people are thirsty.”

That famous reply is now painted on the exterior of Tom’s Town Distilling Co. at 1701 Main St. in Kansas City’s Crossroads District. Taking inspiration from the Prohibition era and with Tom Pendergast as a namesake, Tom’s Town has been producing craft spirits since 2015.

The two founders of Tom’s Town, David Epstein and Steve Revare, both have family connections to Pendergast. Revare’s great uncle, Maurice Milligan, was the attorney who put Pendergast in jail for tax evasion. Meanwhile, Epstein’s grandfather, Herman Epstein, was a rival bootleger to Pendergast.

Tom’s Town produces five signature spirits that are used in various drinks served at the distillery’s tasting room and pop-up bar, and can also be purchased regionally.

The distillery produces two bourbons, Tom’s Town Double Oaked Bourbon and Pendergast’s Royal Gold Whiskey. The premier whiskey is the Royal Gold, inspired by Pendergast and aged in 14-year-old ruby port casks.

According to Tom’s Town marketing coordinator, Tony Pulford, the distillery’s double oaked bourbon is currently its most popular spirit. This bourbon is aged first in traditional white American oak barrels before being aged a second time with French and American toasted oak staves inserted into the barrel.

“(Tom’s Town Double Oaked Bourbon) is a great mixing bourbon,” Pulford said. “It really does enhance any classic bourbon cocktail like an old-fashioned or even a sour.”

Next are the distillery’s two regular gin selections, the Tom’s Town Botanical Gin and the Tom’s Town Barreled Gin. Far from a traditional London dry gin, Tom’s Town Botanical Gin features 14 different botanicals ,providing a complex taste palette. The botanical gin has additionally been named the official gin of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Currently on the menu at the distillery’s tasting room is the French Blonde cocktail, featuring Tom’s Town Botanical Gin, Lillet Blanc, elderflower liqueur and grapefruit juice.

The second gin option is Tom’s Town Barreled Gin. The barreled gin is made by aging the Tom’s Town Botanical Gin in the distillery’s bourbon barrels. This spirit is used in the tasting room’s original cocktail, Local 627, named after the historical African-American union, Musicians Local 627, whose members included famed jazz musicians of the era.

The Tom’s Town Double Grain Vodka is crafted from wheat and rye sourced 30 miles away from the distillery. This double-grain vodka ranked Tom’s Town as the Best Vodka Distillery by USA Today in 2016.

Tom’s Town’s signature summer cocktail is the Gandy Dancer, inspired by Kansas City’s roots as a railroad epicenter. The term “gandy dancer” refers to railroad section hand workers who laid and maintained track . The drink ingredients are strawberries, mint, simple syrup, lemon juice and Tom’s Town Double Grain Vodka.

Tom’s Town features tours Tuesday through Saturday that walk customers through the distillery process, a tasting of featured spirits and a tour through time.

“What makes our distillery tour different is it’s very much rooted in Kansas City history during the Pendergast era,” Pulford said. “Not only do they get to learn how we make our spirits, they learn the history behind our brand and the history of Kansas City during that time.”

The distillery’s location is also historic. Built in 1908, the building originally housed an auto carriage company. The large elevators previously used to move cars between floors are now used to move barrels. The tasting room is decorated in a 1920s art-deco style and features a large windowed wall looking into the distilling room.

Located below the tasting room in the basement is a smaller pop-up bar. The theme rotates seasonally and features specialty drinks and spirits to meet the theme. Pulford said this summer’s theme will be tiki-related.

“So, when you think of ‘tiki’ you usually think of rum,” Pulford said. ”We don’t make rum, so our mixologists have to be very creative in making very, very tasty tiki-inspired cocktails just with their bourbon, gin or vodka.”