The 86-proof single-barrel spirit won double gold at the prestigious San Francisco International Spirits Competition this year. Both spirits are solid, but go with the bourbon. Founder Marsha Milam named her booze business after her war hero ancestor, Ben Milam, who fought in the Texas Revolution. Another Blanco whiskey distillery, Ben Milam Whiskey makes two products, a bourbon and a rye, that are steeped in Texas history. His method, which he’s mostly keeping a trade secret for now, is an effort to be eco-friendly.īen Milam Bourbon Whiskey, $43. He decided to break the whiskey tradition of barrel maturation after reading about a barrel shortage a few years ago that was making it difficult for bourbon producers to continue their craft. That’s thanks to local entrepreneur Lawrence Sasso, who found a way to impart the effects of barrel-aging on Austonian Whiskey using significantly less wood. This amber-hued beaut hasn’t spent a lick of time in new American white oak barrels - or any kind of barrels at all - but it sure tastes a lot like bourbon. “This is backyard BBQ whiskey at its best,” according to Andalusia.Īustonian Whiskey, $29.99. Rather than using peat while smoking malted barley, Andalusia’s co-founders - one of whom previously worked as a brewer at the nearby Real Ale Brewing - relied on wood traditionally used to smoke Texas barbecue: oak, mesquite and apple. The first of two Blanco whiskey distilleries, Andalusia has introduced this unconventional single-malt as a Texas take on Scotch. “It's a better product now and probably better for cocktails at a higher proof.”Īndalusia Whiskey’s Stryker Smoked Single Malt, $49.99. “It's not a very smart decision because it ends up costing a lot, but it's true to our vision,” Troy Kooper said, noting that very few spirits increase their proof once on the market. The husband-and-wife owner of Austin’s first locally produced rye whiskey had a Christmas surprise for fans last year: Kooper Family Rye is introducing a slightly higher proof of 84 but the same price point, a decision Troy and Michelle Kooper made so the rye would be even better than it was before. It’s a pricey whiskey and worth every penny. Since Garrison, other distilleries have made Texas bourbon, but none have done it quite like the Hill Country facility. The granddaddy of Texas whiskey, Garrison proved that Texas could, in fact, make a proper bourbon from scratch and despite the heat of the southern sun that makes barrel-aging a tricky art. Garrison Brothers Straight Bourbon Whiskey, $79-$89. We compiled a similar list of these whiskeys in 2015, but with many delicious new ones added to liquor shelves in the past two years, it’s worth an update. Here are the best ones, should you be considering adding a whiskey to your Christmas wish list or wanting to get the whiskey lover in your life a bottle of something brag-worthy from this fearless state. That’s all to say that Texas makes a lot of good whiskey. Texas may not have been doing it for as long as America’s bourbon bastion, but our proud state has proven that we can still hold our own against legacy producers - perhaps in part because the whiskey industry here is still so young and willing to be adventurous. Kentucky isn’t the only state in the U.S.
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