About Contraband Distillery

In the Black Hills of Rapid City, S.D., Contraband Distillery is taking the once-secret Sailer family liqueur recipe to the masses. The recipe is so notorious, legend has it Al Capone tasted the liqueur while hosting a friend’s wedding in Chicago and enjoyed it so much, he shared it with the entire wedding party.


Owner Jerry Sailer has the art of making alcohol in his blood. Passed from father to son for seven generations, Jerry has been making batches of his family’s storied recipe since being taught it by his father at 15 years old. After learning his birthright, Jerry knew he had to open a distillery of his own.


In early 2014, Jerry set down the path of starting his distillery. Just over a year later, Contraband Distillery became the first and only licensed full distillery in South Dakota. They now have a full range of flavored liqueurs, from Black Satin and Royalty to Watermelon, as well as Great Faces Vodka, named for their neighbor, Mount Rushmore.

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