Purchase Photo
Food & Drink
The Origins of Black Sea Shines
David Haigler shares the origin story behind his distillery, Black Sea Shines.
by Tessa Cooper
Aug 2025
Photos by Katy St. Clair, Brandon Alms
“I specifically know why I’m proud of the region that I came from, and why I came back,” Black Sea Shines owner David Haigler says. “The people here have a very strong work ethic."
When David Haigler, owner of Black Sea Shines of the Ozarks, set up his distillery, he drew on his expertise in river rescue diving and hard hat deep sea diving and recovery.
“I could visualize the way that an old Missouri river ran when it was low versus when it was flooded,” Haigler says. “So when I went to build the equipment, [I understood] how gas properties worked and how they would be reacted by angles and lines friction. I conceptually built everything to where it flowed and reacted like the currents in an old, flooded Missouri River.”
Haigler has held many titles in his life, including deputy sheriff, paramedic, and Navy corpsman in the Reserves. He also worked for several years in Emergency Medical Services and Health Safety Security Environmental works. His career eventually led him to the Middle East, where he first experimented with distilling spirits. It was there that Haigler met a friend who opened his property along the coast of the Black Sea to him, which gave him space to hone his new craft before coming back home to the Ozarks to start Black Sea Shines.
Dozens of people helped Haigler get the distillery up and going, and he will gladly name them all if you ask. “I specifically know why I’m proud of the region that I came from, and why I came back,” Haigler says. “The people here have a very strong work ethic. I was able to put all this together by that work ethic and by people still being able to honor their word. A handshake was a handshake, and that made the deal done.”
It took a village to open Black Sea Shines, and it takes a village to run it. His wife, Roseanna Haigler, co-owns the distillery and works as its merchandising rep, while Branden Prewitt plays an integral role in the distilling process full-time.
Today, Table Rock Lake goers flock to Black Sea Shines to learn more about the distilling process, attend events, enjoy a sip in the tasting room and unwind on the large deck that overlooks the Ozark Mountains. You can pick up a bottle of their spirits at the distillery, Harter House on Republic Road, TA Express in Norwood and more locations coming soon.
