The folks at Ty lechyd Da Distillery (yes, we know the name is hard to pronounce but there’s a story behind it) have a lot to celebrate these days.
For starters, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils Ozark Dry Gin they produce received 94 points and a gold medal from the Beverage Testing Institute in its 2023 competition. Brian Allen, director of distillery operations, said he was not surprised it did well.
“It’s definitely a tasty gin and when we sample it, we get a lot of positive feedback — even from people who don’t know anything about the Ozark Mountain Daredevils,” Allen said. “I am not sure we were expecting a 94. That was fantastic.”
While the Ozark Mountain Daredevils gin captured the attention of Whiskey & Leisure magazine, which featured it in a December 2023/January 2024 article, that gin was not even the highest-ranking spirit they produce.
Their Goldfinch gin scored a 95 and a gold medal from the Beverage Testing Institute. Goldfinch is their best-selling gin and it is aged for three months in Sauternes barrels (a French, sweet wine), lending hints of oak and a slightly sweet finish.
The small team behind these award-winning spirits is gearing up to expand operations. Ty lechyd Da recently purchased a new 250-gallon still and other equipment that will help them triple capacity.
Ty what?
Christina and Neil Chanter bought Missouri Spirits House in 2020 and changed the name to Ty lechyd Da (pronounced Tea-Yah-Key-Da) Distillery. She was already a managing member in the business and with COVID and shutdowns, they bought out the other partner.
The name is Welsh for “house of good cheers” which is a Welsh way of saying “cheers.” Neil is from England but went to law school in Wales. Christina is a Bolivar native who studied abroad. The two met and fell in love while she was in Europe.
The Chanters own Front Row Property, LLC, which is an umbrella for Springfield Brewing Company, the Springfield Brewing Company brewpub, Ty Iechyd Da Distillery, and Good Elf Beverage Company.
“We are very happy and excited about how quickly things have evolved and grown for our distillery,” Christina said. “It is a very creative, even artistic process of making something new and different, and our brewers and distillers are all so incredibly talented. … We have had some really great rankings so far, especially considering Ty Iechyd Da released its first product in late spring/early summer 2021.”
Shortly after the acquisition, the Chanters hired Brandon Moore to be their head distiller. He learned the trade at Copper Run Distillery.
Names, logos have special significance to owners
All of the names of the spirits have significance to the Chanter family.
For example, Goldfinch is a songbird and is named for their youngest daughter, who is a singer and is studying vocal performance and opera at university. They have a line of Sweet Blondies liqueurs, a nod to their oldest daughter, who is blonde.
Their logo, the daffodil, is the national flower of Wales, but it also symbolizes new beginnings and rebirth. That ties into what they wanted to do with the distillery, Christina said. They wanted to create new takes on classics with the hope that some will become staples and others will evolve.
“Also, it is kind of a mindset of distilling from a craft brewing perspective,” she said. “Craft beer is ever-changing and evolving, new things all the time. We wanted to have that influence in our distilling processes as well.”
As for the name, they often use the moniker TID the same way many people say SBC for Springfield Brew Company, so she suspects TID will become the more common acronym. But in the end, the name means something to them, so it is interesting and authentic.
Tasting rooms are next in distillery's evolution
When the business was Missouri Spirits House, it was open to the public and the plan is to open a tasting room again in the same location. Allen and Moore said they are targeting an opening before summer. It will be a smaller space, about 1,000 square feet, and won’t have a food menu. Allen said they want to use the space for tastings, potential classes, tours and occasionally pairing dinners. They will also serve cocktails.
The Chanters are also opening a tasting room in the former Bub’s Distillery in Rogersville. They are renovating that property and will move the current stills over there once the larger still is set up. They are also targeting a before-summer opening for that space and will serve wood-fired pizzas there.
They are also opening a tap and tasting room in Willard, located adjacent to the Frisco Highline Trail in the “mural building” owned by Ozark Greenways.
These new ventures will expand their footprint, but each location will be unique, said Christina. Rogersville and Willard will focus on new and different experiences, both in atmosphere and in what is produced onsite.
Increasing number of restaurants serving their spirits
Ty lechyd Da provides 98% of the spirits served at Springfield Brewing Company. Their spirits are available in major retailers like Macadoodles, Hy-Vee, Price Cutter, Brown Derby Wine Center & Marketplace and more. An increasing number of restaurants use their spirits, too.
Since Moore joined the company three years ago, they have significantly added products and now produce about 30 items. They can also create private labels.
Ozark Mountain Daredevils gin is the only product they produce that is distributed statewide. For distribution, they teamed up with Breakthru Beverage. It was released in 2019 and is a London-style gin.
John Dillon, cofounder of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, told Whiskey & Leisure magazine that the band fell in love with that style of gin when they went to London to record an album. Dillon was thrilled with the gold medal and the gin’s recent recognition.
Gin, whiskey at the forefront of Ty Iechyd Da's offerings
Gin is not traditionally aged, so it’s common for new distilleries to produce it immediately to recoup some of their costs. Other spirits, like whiskey or bourbon, need to age and can’t turn a profit for years, Allen said.
But both Allen and Moore say they really enjoy gin and it’s been a great product for them.
“We have put a lot of work into these gins,” Moore said. “We are proud of them, so it’s neat to see them leading the way right now.”
The nationwide trend is to focus on local botanicals or create a unique, more playful gin.
Allen and Moore also plan to produce a lot of American single-malt whiskey, which is made from barley. That’s a perfect partnership between a brewery and distillery, they echoed.
Ty lechyd Da already produces whiskey — their double-barrel rye also won gold from the Beverage Testing Institute — and Moore spent years crafting whiskeys when he was at Copper Run Distillery. Their most popular bourbon is Hinterland, which is aged in maple syrup barrels, a unique application.
The men say they enjoy the creative freedom they have at the distillery. When the new tasting rooms open, they will be able to interact more with the public and share their knowledge and passion for the craft.
“Our vision is to offer something unique, fun, and exciting to our customers and our community,” Christina said.
Find it: For more information, visit the Ty Iechyd Da Distillery website.
The distillery tasting room is not open yet, but will be located at 507. W. Walnut St. (near Springfield Brewing Company). In the meantime, Ty Iechyd Da's spirits are used at Springfield Brewing Company and other establishments, like MudLounge Coffee & Cocktails. To learn where you can buy their products, check out Ty Iechyd Da's spirit locator on their website.
Follow Ty Iechyd Da on Facebook for updates on their tasting rooms.
