Reviving a Legacy: The Story of J. Rieger & Co. and Kansas City's First Distillery Since Prohibition

In 2012, Andy Rieger, Jacob Rieger’s great-great-great grandson (and only living direct descendent at the time), and Ryan Maybee, a career bartender and restaurateur, set out to resurrect the historic J. Rieger & Co. brand. Together, they formed a bond based on their shared vision of reestablishing not only Andy’s family legacy, but also reviving the distilling industry in Kansas City. And in 2014, they relaunched J. Rieger & Co., Kansas City’s first distillery since Prohibition, with the release of “Rieger’s Kansas City Whiskey,” a unique style of American Whiskey that pays tribute to J. Rieger & Co.’s history.

After four years of distilling and growing demand in Kansas City and throughout the country, the need for a bigger home drove J. Rieger & Co to purchase the historic Heim Brewery’s bottling house, a 45,000-square-foot, three-story building built in 1901.

Prior to Prohibition, the Heim’s bottled more than 100,000 bottles of beer a day in this building and shipped it out around the country on awaiting railcars right outside the front door. Sadly, the Heim brand was also lost to Prohibition.

However, in 2018, J. Rieger & Co. began construction to convert this building to a new distillery, breathing new life into the space while opening a visitor’s experience for the first time.