StilL 630’s Missouri Straight Bourbon Habondia Peach Brandy Finish Single Barrel Review

[Timeline: St. Louis, Missouri, 2009] - David Weglarz is a day trader who has just figured out his job sucks. It seems as though everyone around him is starting a business, and he feels left out. He and a friend tinker with home brewing (smartly using his friend’s kitchen instead of his own). A decision was made – David wanted to make whiskey, not beer. Back when he was a raft guide in North Carolina, he had some moonshine fresh from a still (no word as to its legitimacy), and that was a fond memory.

 

How hard could it be? On June 30, 2011, David opened his StilL 630 Distillery. Yeah, that’s not a typo – the last L is capitalized to emphasize that his distillery is in StL (for St. Louis). The 630 part refers to the dimensions of the St. Louis Arch, which is 630 x 630 feet. And the serial number of his still. Oh, yeah, don’t forget June 30. Many factors influenced that number.

 

He started with two pot stills that were handcrafted in Missouri to his specifications.

 

“I’ve always wanted my life to be spectacular, to be something worth talking about and remembering long after I’m gone. I want StilL 630 to be different, not just some assembly line churning out product. We are different because we are passionate. We are different because we are bold and committed. To put it simply, we are different because we are the best. […] We work and play by our own rules because life is too short to do things any other way. In the end we will succeed where others have failed because mine is an Indomitable Spirit. I truly believe this and I truly believe I am living the American dream.” – David Weglarz, Owner and Operator of StilL 630

 

David loves his job, and he’s good at it. He’s a founding member of the Missouri Craft Distillers’ Guild and served as its second president. His distillery is the most awarded in the state of Missouri.

 

I discovered StilL 630 purely by chance. In July, I served as a judge for the 2025 Heartland Whiskey Competition, held in Westfield, Indiana. One of the whiskeys I tasted that day was StilL 630’s Missouri Straight Bourbon Habondia Peach Brandy Finish Single Barrel. I was impressed and noted the entry number (which was all the information we were provided during the tasting aside from it being a 4+ year old cask strength Bourbon). Once the competition was over and the votes were tallied, the judges were given the option of taking some bottles home with them. One of a pair that I chose was this one. That’s also why there’s a sticker covering the label in the photo.

 

Now that you know the background of the distillery and how I acquired my sample, it is time to #DrinkCurious. Let’s do this!

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: StilL 630
• Age: 5 years
• Mashbill: 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley
• Cooperage: 5 years in a new, charred oak barrel, then 26 months in a Habondia Peach Brandy barrel.
• Alcohol Content: 61.6% ABV (123.2°)
• Price per 750mL: $65.99
• Batch 1 – 180 bottles total yield
• Non-Chill Filtered, Uncut

 

Appearance: I poured this Bourbon into a Glencairn glass to experience it neat. The liquid looked brassy; it formed a bold rim with evenly spaced, thick, fast tears.

 

Nose: After waiting about 15 minutes, I brought the glass beneath my nose and gently inhaled. The aroma included notes of peaches, vanilla, corn, and subtle oak. Drawing the air through my lips, I found stronger oak.  

 

Palate: The Bourbon possessed a delicate, silky texture that slipped across my tongue and down my throat. The front of my palate encountered the flavors of stewed peaches, roasted corn, and vanilla. I tasted leather and nutmeg on my mid-palate, followed by oak, cinnamon, and tobacco.

 

Finish: Peaches, roasted corn, oak, and cinnamon remained. The cinnamon spice slowly built to a crescendo. The duration was 1:30, placing it squarely in the medium length category.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: StilL 630’s Missouri Straight Bourbon Habondia Peach Brandy Finish Single Barrel was the softest, easiest sipping 123° whiskey I’ve come across in a long time (if ever). Without knowing any better, I would have guessed this was closer to 90° or 95°; yeah, I’m talking about 30 points lower. How on earth did the team at StilL 630 do that? I was stunned because everything about this Bourbon checked off the right boxes, so much so that during the judging, I only gave a single whiskey 100 points, and this was that whiskey.

 

It is an absolute shame that this is a limited-edition whiskey because it is stupendously delicious. I would buy this all day long, and frankly, at its price, it is a steal. Obviously, it snags my Bottle rating.

 

One more thing. If this is representative of what StilL 630 produces, I want to experience more from it. Cheers!

 

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit, but begs you to do so responsibly.