Tom's Town Distilling Co., Kansas City

Tom’s Town Distilling Co. draws its name and inspiration from the country’s most polarizing and corrupt political boss, Tom Pendergast. Pendergast had roots in the liquor business as a saloon keeper and as the founder of a wholesale liquor company.

Under Pendergast’s influence, Kansas City flouted Prohibition. Tom’s irreverence for federal statutes in favor of bare-knuckled local business dealings allowed his town to emerge as the “Paris of the Plains.” Money, jazz, and spirits flowed like water, right out in the open. When a newspaperman asked Pendergast how he justified ignoring Prohibition, he shrugged and said, “The people are thirsty.”

Today the people are still thirsty in Kansas City and across the U.S. We aim to satisfy that thirst by distilling spirits in the time-honored ways that produce superior products. You can taste our high standards and attention to detail in every sip of the gin, vodka, and bourbon we make on Main Street in downtown Kansas City. The deco optimism and glamorous magnetism of the roaring 1920s comes alive through Tom’s Town.