Lisa Strong, CEO & president of Strong Marketing (asi/338383), is the brand manager for Missouri-based S.D. Strong Distilling, owned by her husband Steve, which creates its award-winning spirits 65 feet underground in a cave.

The distillery offers rye whiskey, bourbon, gin and vodka.

Q: What do you look for when it comes to merchandise for the distillery?

A: Typically, I look for unique items with a cool bootlegger vibe. S.D. Strong Distilling is the world's only legal distillery (that we know of) located in a cave, so it's important for us to have products that reflect that individuality. It's a truly independent startup operation, so it relies on people to wearing and using the items to help spread the #MadeInACave message. 

Dirty Wash Trucker from Caps Direct (asi/43804) with embroidered felt patch 

USA-made custom bumper stickers from Gill Studios (asi/56950)

Q: What types of products are sold in its e-commerce store?

A: We have trucker hats, knit caps, bumper stickers, leather phone case stickers, sweatshirts, T-shirts, keychains and more. I had read an article in the Wall Street Journal about leather stickers trending in Europe and I knew they'd be perfect. I called the supplier and they told me they'd never heard of them and they wouldn't be able to get them. So I sent them the WSJ story and three hours later they called me back and told me they could get them!

Our StrongMan Tee (from SanMar) was a challenge. We wanted a Victorian-era strong man image for a rugged hipster look, and we wanted the screen print to have a soft hand. The art is an original illustration by local artist Valerie Jahraus, so it took extra time and consideration to get things exactly correct when translating to branded items. We probably had about 20 different prints made.

Debossed leather phone case sticker from Distinctive Designs 21

District Very Important Tee (DT6000) from SanMar (asi/84863) with screen print

Q: What kind of experience can visitors expect when they venture down to the distillery? 

A: There’s a tasting room in the cave, which is also open for tours; each group is limited to 15 people to ensure a quality experience. Recently, there was a visitor from Dubai who had seen the distillery profiled in a Southwest Airlines magazine and he came straight from the airport to go on a tour. They also host Concerts in the Cave because the natural acoustics are amazing. Parkville is like an old Colorado mining town, and the entrance to the cave is under the campus of Park University. It freaks people out a little bit! The spirits are currently available at retail in five states and online nationwide.

USA-made clip keychain (AC0133) from Rustico LLC (asi/84264) with debossed logo

Marled Knit Beanie from Caps Direct with embroidered patch

 Take a look at the trip down to the S.D. Strong Distilling cave: 

Sign up for @StillStrongMO Second Saturday Tours now before they sell out. https://t.co/5egcpovx03

Here's how to find us 65 ft below ground. #madeinacave pic.twitter.com/1BTcpakXzA

— SD Strong Distilling (@StillStrongMO) September 1, 2018