Nobletons Distilling House

Nobletons Distilling House is a family-run distillery in Union, Missouri that grows its own heirloom grains, ferments with a single yeast strain traced back to the 1500s, and ages whiskey for up to two decades across three barrel stages. Founded by Demetrius Cain and his wife Laura, the distillery treats whiskey making as an inherited craft rather than a manufacturing process, and it shows in the deliberate, unhurried way every expression is built.

History & Heritage

The idea for Nobletons took root in 2016, when Demetrius and Laura Cain began planning a distillery that would draw on Cain family land holdings in Missouri dating back to 1575 and a distilling heritage the family traces to 1824. The distillery formally opened in the fall of 2018 at 545 Commercial Dr in Union, Missouri, in Franklin County. Rather than sourcing juice or grain from outside suppliers, the Cains built Nobletons as what they call a "ground to glass" operation for whiskey: heirloom grains are cultivated on their own farms, supplemented by grain from other farmers across Missouri, and the entire process from fermentation through bottling happens on-site. Their rhum production follows the same philosophy under a "cane-to-glass" model, with fermentation, distillation, and bottling all handled within the St. Louis area. That vertical control, paired with a family yeast strain passed down for generations, is central to how Nobletons frames its identity: not a startup imitating old-world technique, but a family finishing what earlier generations started.

The Whiskey

Nobletons' whiskey program is built around patience and process rather than volume. Fermentation runs 48 days total, a 14-day active ferment followed by 36 days of lagering, a method the distillery uses specifically to build a thicker, more viscous mouthfeel than a standard fermentation schedule produces. Distillation happens in custom-built, Armagnac-style vacuum stills forged from American copper, which run at lower temperatures than conventional pot stills to preserve richness in the spirit. The whiskey then ages in three distinct stages: up to seven years in new oak, another seven in used casks, and up to seven more in a neutral cask, all in Missouri white oak. Mash bills vary by release; one single-barrel pick of Planters Ozark Highlands Whiskey used 51% sweet corn, 45% rye, and 4% malted barley, while a separate wheated bourbon used 51% sweet corn, 45% wheat, and 4% malted barley, with all grains malted. Nobletons is candid that its whiskey program is still in its early maturation cycles relative to its full aging plan, and describes itself as actively learning and refining the craft rather than treating it as finished.

Beyond whiskey, Nobletons produces Duckett Golden Rhum, a dry, lightly smoky rum aged in French oak, and Duckett Rhum 103, a caramel-forward rum built to drink like a bourbon, along with Peoples Gin, a house vodka, and Duckett Curacao Noir Orange Liqueur.

Why It Matters

Nobletons is certified as an Ozark Highlands spirit, a regional designation that requires mashing, fermenting, aging, distilling, and bottling entirely within the Ozark Highlands ecoregion, aging in Missouri white oak or regional barrels, using environmentally safe and chemical-free water, and a minimum four-year age statement. Planters Ozark Highlands Whiskey, the distillery's flagship, carries that certification and is aged a minimum of four years in toasted Missouri white oak. In 2025, Whiskey Lore named Nobletons a Bronze Independent Craft Legend, recognition for a small, self-sufficient operation built on estate-grown grain and inherited technique rather than contract distilling.

Visiting the Distillery

Nobletons offers guided tours out of its Union, Missouri location. A standard Tour and Tasting runs one hour, includes samples of the house vodka, gin, and three whiskeys, and costs $20. A Barrel Tasting, also $25 for one hour, includes three pours drawn straight from the barrel. A distiller-led tour includes a bottle of barrel-strength whiskey from a barrel chosen during the visit. The tasting room is open Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 7pm, Friday from 3 to 9pm, and Saturday from noon to 9pm.