From its earliest days as a settlement of French trappers and traders, Kansas City’s West Bottoms grew more than a century ago into a bustling railroad hub and agricultural and livestock center. Ingrained in that rich history is the distillation, distribution, and consumption of liquor. Prior to Prohibition, dozens of West Bottoms saloons served locally produced spirits to a thirsty clientele of workers from nearby stockyards and packinghouses. 

When master distiller Alex Lindsey founded the West Bottoms Whiskey Co. in 2021, he embraced the Bottoms’ legacy of industrialization and entrepreneurism and its role in shaping Kansas City as a commercial hub. In a special Library event, he examines the history of American whiskey, the emergence of the West Bottoms District, and the pre-Prohibition era that influences and inspires his whiskey making.  

Samples of Lindsey’s award-winning Kansas City Whiskey are offered following the program, which is co-presented by the Historic West Bottoms in conjunction with its Heritage Days celebration.