David Weglarz has to be one of the most patriotic Americans I have ever met. Celebrating America is the central theme in all the spirits produced at his StilL 630 operation, located in the heart of America, St. Louis, Missouri. Now it is the most awarded distillery in the American Midwest. The man behind this achievement, and the sprits that earned the accolades, is himself an archetype of American tradition–pioneering, bold, and fearless.
David was born and raised in Midland, Michigan and grew up there enjoying camping in the Upper Peninsula and participating in several sports, with baseball becoming his favorite. Unfortunately, his idyllic childhood would not extend far into his teens. When he was 13, his family moved to Noblesville, Indiana where only about a year later, tragedy struck as he lost his mother to cancer. Not long after that, a car accident claimed the life of his best friend in high school. Both of these tragic events were formative for David and he quickly came to understand firsthand and at his young age that “Nothing is promised in life and it’s up to you to make it what you want.” It was the moment in David’s life where he came to adopt a more “carpe diem” outlook on life–to seize the day! His underlying drive became focused on discovering what he was passionate about and make it happen. But even this this would take some time.
David’s father was more of a football fan than a baseball fan, so when David was accepted at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, he took a spot on the football team, knowing almost nothing about the sport. After graduating with a degree in English, David still needed a path for his life. Although he learned problem-solving, critical thinking, and other classic life skills at Wabash, David still lacked a specific direction for his career–not an uncommon experience for young college graduates. It would, however, be a fool’s errand to try to convince David that he can’t do something. I doubt that he would waste much time arguing with you about it; he’d simply go out there and prove you wrong. It’s that carpe diem outlook molded by his American pioneering spirit that began to take hold and translate into action.
Soon, David decided that he wanted to work as a whitewater rafting guide. He headed to the Bryson City, North Carolina area to learn that trade. But after a while, even life in the beauty of the North Carolina mountains can become a source for fatigue when you sleep in a tent, survive on tips, and are living on little more than beer and wings. While this was an early “bucket list” item for him to check off and he has no regrets for having spent the time in North Carolina, David also knew that this was certainly not his path to fulfilling his life potential.
It was an abrupt change of scenery and lifestyle when David moved to Chicago, Illinois. There, he became a commodities futures trader, mostly in the energy sector. While this was a different kind of career, the role turned into a quite dizzying personal financial rollercoaster which devolved into a rather “soul sucking” job. Again, while this was a lot to experience, David knew this was neither the career nor the pattern of life that would fulfill his potential. The stress and financial uncertainty from day-to-day would eventually drive him to seek a better opportunity.
Indomitable Spirits
David’s focus shifted again when he met his wife, Sidni, while attending the Indianapolis 500 race; they were married in 2010. By this time, David became fascinated with craft beer and whiskey during the craft beer boom. He and a friend began brewing their own beer as a hobby and this led to another discussion–craft spirits. He recalled that when he was working in Bryson City, he had sampled real moonshine and now “fell in love with the idea of distilling.” He began experimenting with a ten-gallon still.
David decided to open his own distillery ahead of the craft whiskey boom that he saw coming. He took a few classes on distilling, and volunteered to work at the distillery from which he had sourced his equipment. He and Sidni explored several geographic options before deciding where to move to and establish StilL 630. Ultimately, they chose Missouri because the laws are friendly to craft distillers. There is more freedom to develop products and the excise taxes on spirits are some of the lowest in the nation. Missouri has a developed infrastructure, an ample supply of clean water, the best grains, the best oak for barrels which are made in the largest cooperage located in Lebanon. On June 30th, 2011, StilL 630 was founded in St. Louis, Missouri. The intrepid David Weglarz was finally in the position to achieve his long-sought after potential.
Today, StilL 630 operates from a compact 3,000-square-foot facility with an offsite rickhouse five miles away. David noted they are considering a future expansion at some point. David originally set out to make rum and whiskey when he started the venture in 2011. Today, StilL 630’s catalog of awarded spirits has so much to offer they would be the “one stop shop” to stock any bar, including yours. Outside sourcing was not an option because that simply removed most of the creativity and “romance” of distilling. David yearned to make the highest quality spirits himself from the start. He says, “Our goal is to make the best possible batch. Sourcing our whiskey was never our vision; we are not a copy. We want to attract customers who care about what they drink.”
Variety as strength
StilL 630 is home to the largest Botanical Library in the world. They also have what they are calling “The Evolutionary Library” which is sourced from over 100 experimental barrels. Bottles are filled with samples of whiskey, rum, and brandy which were siphoned from their aging barrels at different stages of the aging process. These libraries are not intended to be museums where David spends his time dusting off bottles to pose for photos with tourists; they are critical tools that StilL 630 actively uses to develop flavor profiles for their spirits.
Some of the best features of gin are its variety and versatility. David understands this all too well, and he adds “Our Botanical Library has over 500 distilled samples of individual ingredients. Each bottle is its own unique ingredient showcasing its own unique flavors: layered, complex, and even curious compositions from herbs, leaves, seeds, roots, fruits, berries, nuts, and flowers…That gives us a portfolio of possibilities to work with. We can create the exact flavor of gin we want to drink.”
StilL 630 produces a wide variety of spirits today. Their portfolio of expressions spans whiskey, rye, Missouri bourbon, American single malt, gin, rum, brandy, infused whiskey, private barrels, custom expressions and an array of fascinating experimental samplings. True to his humble nature, David doesn’t isolate himself as some kind of unapproachable spirits god. Their flavor profiles are crowd-sourced from “The Experimental Program.” This is key to their flavor profiles and creating key expressions that the public wants. He adds, “We are looking for different recipes and nuances.” For example, this year, StilL 630 is releasing a limited edition bourbon each month this year to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. These expressions came out of the Experimental Program, and used crowd sourcing to help with development. This process also to helps develop custom blends for specific customers.
On the surface, a critic might develop the impression that StilL 630 lacks focus; but that is not the case. David is full of ideas and his approach is: “I can do whatever I can,” which means that if he wants to make the best domestic whiskey, gins and rums, he will–and it is the same for all of his spirits. David has the time, and invests his time in not simply splattering his portfolio with “me too” expressions, but his focus is purposefully creating and crafting his “indomitable spirits” which continue to win award after award for his distillery. He says, “We’re never going to outspend anybody so we have to win on authenticity.”
David’s inspiration is fueled by local industry when it comes to collaboration and sources. He works with local coffee producers, breweries, wineries, restaurants, and bars to create expressions that collectively carry the ethos of Missouri, like unique pieces of a grand jigsaw puzzle. StilL 630 “…has a great fabric,” he says to me.
David has become a key figure in Missouri’s craft distilling renaissance; he became one of the founders of Missouri’s Craft Distilling Guild and served as its second president in 2019. He was also a key supporter for the passage of Missouri House Bill 266 SA which established and defined Missouri bourbon as a unique and protected category of spirit.
2026 and Beyond
I asked David what he thinks about the future of spirits, given the present market downturn. He says, “It’s scary…The future is a moving target; step 1: survival. We went from the first decade of growth to survival, but the industry needed correction, too. We run a lean operation and we have adjusted workloads and made changes to address efficiency. We feel good at the moment. It’s the passion that carries you through downturns and challenges, and those who survive will be better for it.”
When I asked about the future of general product mix, David says, “whiskey will always be there” and feels there is an upside potential for craft gins. He also makes a bold claim, “Rum is the American original spirit deserves to come into its own. I’m looking for a rum renaissance to happen because of the potential. It has regionality.”
Regarding his enterprise,”There is a sense of purpose and meaning as a result of StilL 630,” David tells me. Ultimately, David would like for his three sons to have the opportunity to take over his StilL 630 operation one day, but he wants them to follow their own paths. “My goal is to have StilL 630 outlive me and give that to my family. I want to create an intergenerational family business.” But if that isn’t distilling, David is just fine with that, too. He states, “I would like my kids to do something they are passionate about.”
Final Thoughts
David concludes, “The best reward is to be a part of people’s lives; when a wedding party comes in and chooses something I created–chooses our stuff to celebrate the most important events of their lives, that means a lot. It’s the best thing in the world when we get to share what we do with people.”
StilL 630 has always stood as a reminder that the craft endures because the people behind it refuse to play it safe. Every batch, every experiment, every wild idea pulled from the ether is a testament to showing up with honesty and pushing forward with courage. In the end, the calling is simple but sacred: engage with authenticity, trust the creative muse when it tugs at your sleeve, and above all… keep making whiskey and sharing it with the world.
