Copper Mule Distillery

About the Distillery

Copper Mule Distillery lies a few minutes' drive from downtown Hermann, Missouri, on a family-owned property that has been farmed since 1908. Don and Jeanne Gosen opened the distillery in 2019. The site combines a newer production building with a rack house for the barrels, a visitor center with tastings, and a remarkable collection of moonshine stills. The distillery highlights the use of local Heartland grains and aging in Missouri charred oak barrels.

History

Family roots are central to Copper Mule. The story begins with Captain Gustav Wohlt and the founding of Hermann Distilling Company in 1893, continues through Eggers Milling Company from 1903, and the Kallmeyer family’s purchase of the property that today houses Copper Mule in 1908. The Kallmeyer family bred mules on the property and sold animals to the army in 1916. Don and Jeanne Gosen later worked locally, including with Bauernhof Brewery in 2001. From 2014 they began reviving the Kallmeyer Farm, and in 2019 they founded Copper Mule Distillery on the property to resume the family’s connection to local distilling tradition.

Raw Materials and Production

Production takes place in a new, modern facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. The distillery works with grains from the Heartland region and produces bourbon as well as a rye named Arminius Rye. Many releases are marketed as small-batch and single-barrel bottles. Visitors can view both the rack house and the production facility during guided tours, highlighting the blend of modern equipment and the family’s agricultural background. The pages do not specify details on the number of stills, concrete fermentation times, or technical parameters.

Maturation and Barrel Types

The maturation work takes place in Missouri-charred oak barrels stored in a rack house located on the property’s bluffs. In addition to small-batch and single-barrel approaches, no other barrel types or finishing treatments are mentioned. The Missouri origin of the casks and the traditional rack storage are highlighted elements in the distillery’s aging strategy.

Whiskies

The range includes releases based on bourbon production with small-batch and single-barrel approaches, as well as a rye called Arminius Rye. The website specifically mentions JD Select and Arminius Rye as available products and provides the option to reserve bottles via the visitor center. Many tastings at the visitor center showcase a selection of small-batch and single-barrel bottles rather than standardized mass-produced lines.

Visiting the Distillery

The distillery offers guided tours of the rack house and production facility at 11:00 and 13:00; no tours are held on Sundays. Reservations are recommended 24 hours in advance and can be made by calling 573-409-0007. The visitor center offers multiple bourbon tastings (small-batch and single-barrel) for $7, a chocolate pairing, and also offers specialty cocktails, snacks, a gift shop, and indoor and outdoor seating. A large collection of moonshine stills is on display. The dog policy requires a leash of up to 6 feet in the picnic area and prohibits pets on special event days.

The stated hours are Mon - Thu: 10 AM - 5 PM; Fri - Sat: 10 AM - 6 PM; Sun: 12 PM - 4:30 PM.

Philosophy and Craft

Copper Mule emphasizes family heritage, local sourcing of ingredients, and a principled production method: ownership lies with Don and Jeanne Gosen, production is built on local Heartland grains, and the distillery emphasizes that no shortcuts are taken in ingredients or process. Modern production equipment is used alongside the farm’s historic setting and barrel aging on the property’s bluffs.