Our Story

Smoky Valley Distillery was established by Stan and Michele Von Strohe. The husband and wife duo enjoyed highly successful professional careers before embarking on their encore career as distillers. Stan was co-owner of a medical equipment distributorship, and Michele is a retired teacher. Distilling aficionados for many years, they always hoped to open a distillery of their own one day. And like a good whiskey, good ideas sometimes require an aging process.

After years of research, visiting distilleries around the country, and attending national trade shows, Stan and Michele finally decided to make their dream a reality. So they moved to their favorite all-American small town — Marquette, Kansas — a place where they have family ties, many friends, and fond memories. Stan, as a young boy, even worked on local farms during the summers.

They purchased the COOP, a historic building in the heart of downtown, and immediately began remodeling it to become a state-of-the-art distillery. In January of 2020, the Von Strohes and their son Shane opened Smoky Valley Distillery and began operations.

The Historic COOP Building

Our home is a 16,000-square-foot building erected in 1919 by Tom Collier for the Farmers Union COOP. It's the largest building in downtown Marquette and has housed many different businesses over the years — hardware stores, grocery shops, apartments, furniture showrooms, bars, and antique retailers.

In 2023, we expanded into the adjoining building — a former hardware store built in 1901 — transforming it into a 140-person event venue with a 15×30 foot stage. Today, it hosts live music, weddings, holiday parties, and community events.

Marquette, Kansas

We're proud to call the Smoky Valley of central Kansas — where the Smoky Hills and prairie meet — our home. Marquette is a town with preserved historic architecture, century-old murals, and a community spirit that's hard to find anywhere else.

The town features the Kansas Motorcycle Museum (drawing 5,000+ visitors annually), a city park with a fishpond and fountain, walking trails with disc golf, and even a free land incentive for new home construction. Smoky Valley Distillery is another destination point and one more example of the Marquette spirit — by distilling great spirits to match.

What Drives Us

Every spirit we produce uses Kansas-sourced grains and the naturally sweet, sandstone-filtered water of the nearby Kiowa Aquifer. We believe the best spirits start with the best ingredients — and central Kansas provides them in abundance.

We're a family operation with a simple philosophy: make exceptional spirits, welcome everyone who walks through our door, and give people a reason to visit Marquette.

“We invite you to visit us.” — The Von Strohe Family