Missouri bourbon had a big weekend, and the proof is now bottled at Wood Hat Spirits. Their Queens Reserve blue corn bourbon was just named Best Bourbon in the 2025 Heartland Whiskey Competition, tying for first and earning another major nod for a distillery that always seems to be punching above its weight.
A video posted to YouTube after the awards announcement captured the celebration back home, complete with founder Gary Hinegardner standing in front of his stills, trying very hard not to grin too big. “We won the best farmer distilled bourbon in the United States,” he says in the clip, the words landing with a mix of disbelief and earned confidence.
If you know Wood Hat, you know this win starts long before the barrel. Gary’s obsession has always been the corn. Queens Reserve is built from blue corn, a variety he grows not for yield but for flavor, and the bourbon finishes in a barrel previously used to age honey. That technique leaves a soft sweetness in the oak, and it shows up in the glass as a gentle, natural honey note that smooths out the 60-plus percent ABV.
What makes the Heartland Whiskey Competition special is that it celebrates the entire chain from farm to bottle. You can hear that pride right in the video, when Bradley Schad from the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council explains why the award matters. “Bourbon actually helps grind more corn,” he says. “Finding new opportunities and new revenue streams for the corn farmer — that’s one of our main goals.”
Gary follows that up with the line that sticks with you. “By keeping all that value that’s added to corn locally,” he says, “we build families and communities. And this award is highlighting what’s possible.”
That’s really the story of Queens Reserve. Yes, it’s a honey-finished blue corn bourbon with serious hardware. Yes, it’s high proof and beautifully balanced. But it’s also a bottle that shows what Missouri can grow, how a farmer-distiller can keep value in his own backyard, and why a competition about corn ends up telling a story about people.
And if trophies help spread that story a little farther? Well, there’s nothing wrong with raising a glass to that.
