Wahoo Distillery sits in a commercial park on the edge of Wahoo, Nebraska, a town of about 4,500 people roughly 35 miles west of Omaha. Founded in 2015 by Derek and Krystal Fehr, this small operation started as a dream to bring craft distilling to central Nebraska. Derek worked in construction while Krystal managed the business side, but they’d been homebrewing and experimenting with spirits for years before taking the leap. The distillery operates out of a converted warehouse space where they produce vodka, gin, and whiskey using locally-sourced grains when possible. What began as weekend hobby turned into a full-time venture when they realized Nebraska had room for more craft spirits, especially in smaller communities that bigger distilleries overlooked. The Fehrs handle most operations themselves, from mashing and distilling to bottling and sales, keeping things intentionally small-scale. Their 250-gallon copper still anchors the production floor, and they age their whiskey in 15-gallon barrels to speed the process while maintaining quality. The tasting room feels more like visiting friends than a commercial operation, which matches their approach to building relationships with customers throughout Nebraska and western Iowa.