McCormick Distilling Company
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McCormick Distillery
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| Location | MO JJ, Weston, Missouri |
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| Coordinates | 39°23′54″N 94°52′43″W / 39.39833°N 94.87861°WCoordinates: 39°23′54″N 94°52′43″W / 39.39833°N 94.87861°W |
| Area | 9.9 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Built | 1857 |
| NRHP Reference # | 74001090 |
| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1974 |
The McCormick Distilling Company is a vodka distilling and alcoholic beverage importing company in Weston, Missouri. Opened originally by Benjamin J. Holladay in 1856 under the name Holladay Distillery, its distillery has been registered in the National Register of Historic Places and has been operating continuously at the same location longer than any other distillery in the United States. In addition to making its own products (vodka is the only product distilled by McCormick), the company is also an importer of products made elsewhere. The company's products primarily serve the non-premium/"value" segment of the liquor market.
The area for the distillery was chosen for the natural limestone springs that ran underground. After opening the Holladay Distillery in 1856, Benjamin J. Holladay went on to develop the Pony Express route to San Francisco as well as build steamships and railroad lines in western America. In 1860, Holladay turned the distillery over to his brother, Major David Holladay, who then ran the Distillery until 1894 when it was sold to George Shawhan and became the Shawhan Distillery. During the period of Prohibition in the United States, the distillery remained open by producing whisky for medicinal purposes. The distillery was sold to Isadore Singer in 1936, and was renamed as the Old Weston Distillery. Singer then purchased the McCormick brand name from a neighbouring plant at Waldron, Missouri, and renamed the distillery as the McCormick Distillery. In 1950, the company was purchased by Cloud Cray of Midwest Grain Products.
Business partners Ed Pechar and Mike Griesser then bought the company in 1992. Under Pechar and Griesser's ownership and management, McCormick Distilling expanded from 35 employees and $50 million in sales in 1992 to 186 employees and $150 million in sales in 2006. Griesser died in November, 2004. As of 2011, McCormick Distilling remains a privately held corporation owned by company chairman Ed Pechar, the estate of Mike Griesser, and a small group of employee partners who comprise the Board of Directors.
The McCormick distillery is included in the National Register of Historic Places. A substantial number of other distilleries are also recognized as historically significant in the National Register; however, the McCormick distillery has been operating continuously at the same location longer than any other distillery in the United States. Some historic distilleries are older, but have not been operated continuously at the same location due to the prohibition period or other reasons. For example, the Bomberger's Distillery began operations in 1753 but no longer operates (most recently having been shut down in 1989), and the currently-operating facilities at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, the Woodford Reserve Distillery, the Makers Mark Distillery, and the Jack Daniel's Distillery have all had some periods in history during which they ceased operations.
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