The Story of Ben Holladay: The Stagecoach King and Missouri Bourbon Pioneer
Ben Holladay was a serial entrepreneur and successful businessman who made his mark in the transportation and whiskey industries. He was born in Kentucky in 1819 and moved to Weston, Missouri as a young man. He began his career as a carpenter and hotelier, but he soon found his true calling in the stagecoach business.
A Thriving Stagecoach Empire
In 1857, Holladay acquired a struggling stagecoach line in Oregon and quickly turned it around with the perfect blend of vision and execution. His stagecoaches soon became known for their speed, reliability, and comfort. Holladay's success led him to expand his business, and by the early 1860s, he controlled the largest stagecoach empire in the West.
In 1861, Holladay secured a significant milestone by winning the government contract for the Overland Mail and Express Company's mail delivery service. His stagecoach lines spanned a vast network, connecting cities from San Francisco to Salt Lake City and beyond.
Overland Mail Stagecoach, circa 1850s.
His emphasis on safety, quality, and a well-coordinated relay system to ensure timely deliveries earned him the trust and loyalty of passengers and helped cement his position as the Stagecoach King. At one point, he was the largest individual employer in the US, and eventually sold his transportation conglomerate to Wells Fargo.
The Founding & Early Days of Holladay Distillery
In addition to his stagecoach empire, Holladay also owned a number of other businesses, including a bourbon distillery which he founded alongside his brother in 1856 in the rolling hills of Weston, MO, about 30 miles north of downtown Kansas City. Holladay Distillery is the oldest distillery in the state and the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi River still operating on its original site.
Holladay Distillery sits atop a limestone spring that produces water with the ideal natural mineral profile to create world-class bourbon. This exact limestone spring was first documented by Lewis & Clark during an 1804 expedition and is still preserved and used today.
Having grown up in the bourbon-rich Kentucky distilling region, the Holladay brothers quickly realized the significance of the unique topography and capitalized on the tremendous opportunity for distilling with calcium enriched water. Their original barrels were stored in an ancient cave on site that had previously been used for meat curing and preservation. The limestone spring and ancient cave are fan-favorite stops along the Holladay Distillery Tour.
Their original bourbon was known for its highly-palatable, traditional flavor profile and smooth finish, and it was often used in saloons and restaurants throughout the West, leveraging Ben’s existing stagecoach empire for distribution.
Holladay Distillery evolved as the decades passed, changing ownership and names a number of times before ultimately becoming known as McCormick Distilling Company in 1942. Acquired in 1993 by Ed Pechar, Mike Griesser, and a small group of private investors, the distillery has since grown in size and expanded its portfolio of products.
Modern Day Holladay Distillery
In 2016, the distillery commemorated 160 years of rich history and paid homage to its founders by going back to its bourbon-making roots and bearing the proud name of Holladay Distillery, operated by McCormick Distilling Company.
The comeback was completed in 2022 when Holladay Distillery bottled and released Ben Holladay Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey, perfectly marrying Ben’s original mash bill with modern-day production. It is also Bottled-in-Bond, a rare and prestigious designation in the distilled spirits industry, signaling that the product is distilled, aged, and bottled in the same location and assuring a mark of authenticity. The resulting product is an honest, tried-and-true Missouri straight bourbon.
This Father’s Day, give dad what he really wants: a bottle of Ben Holladay Missouri Straight Bourbon. Or better yet, make a day of it and tour the Holladay Distillery in Weston, MO and trace the footsteps of Ben Holladay on the exact grounds that he walked over 160 years ago.
I can personally confirm that this bourbon is absolutely fantastic 🥃
Ben Holladay's tenacity, vision, and entrepreneurial spirit played a pivotal role in shaping the American West. His contributions to the stagecoach industry brought connectivity, progress, and economic growth to the frontier. He was one of the first people to produce whiskey in the American West, and his distillery helped to popularize whiskey in the region. The Holladay Distillery was a significant part of Ben Holladay's entrepreneurial empire, helping to make him a successful businessman and cementing himself as a pioneer in the transportation and whiskey industries.
Though he faced challenges and setbacks along the way, Holladay's legacy as the Stagecoach King lives on, reminding us of the remarkable, hard-working individuals who dared to dream big and leave an indelible mark on American history. Cheers!
Sign up for Stories from the City, the exclusive newsletter from kcyesterday.com with stories about the mafia, architecture, prohibition, sports, and everything in between.
A very special thank you to Holladay Distillery for sponsoring today’s article! To feature your business, email hello@kcyesterday.com.
The Waldo neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, was founded in 1841 by Dr. David Waldo, a land investor and freighter for the Santa Fe Trail. Waldo purchased 1,000 acres of land that ran from what is now Gregory Boulevard to 91st Street and State Line to Holmes.