According to founder Gary Hinegardner, Wood Hat Spirits sprang from an epiphany: Missouri is home to dense forests of white oak that supply the worldwide whiskey industry with barrels for aging, and the state grows plenty of corn and wheat. With the two key ingredients nearby, why not open a distillery and make whiskey in Missouri? As for the handmade wood hats, well, Hinegardner loves them, so why not sell them too? Since its opening in 2014, Wood Hat Spirits has sold wood hats and served award-winning whiskey. The fact that everything…
