Texan Spirit

Texan Spirit

From the lone star state

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Character Goatson
  • smoky
  • caramel
  • sweet
  • peaty
  • spicy notes
  • oak

From the lone star state

Welcome to the flavor rodeo!

Hold on to your hats, cowboys, a wind of change is blowing through the Lone Star State. During the past decade and a half, Texas has regained its independence. No longer bound by the distilling practices of their northeastern counterparts, the taste of freedom is silky strong and it lingers like that of freshly baked bread.

Come again? Handcrafted Spirits, partner. They’re taking these here parts by storm. Texas has successfully married experimentation with tradition to produce three delicious kindred Spirits of their very own – Bourbon, Rye and Single Malt. We’ve managed to noose samples of each of these bad boys and round them up for tasting. Saddle up!

If you’re heading down to San Antonio, you might Remember the Alamo, but you definitely won’t forget Alamo Black Label Bourbon. Crafted from top-notch grains and aged in American oak barrels, this rich, bold Bourbon hits all those sweet notes, then brings you down for a smooth landing. A perfect way to start exploring the heart of Texas.   

Since you’re in the neighborhood, you should definitely make a stop at the first legal distillery in Houston and take a sip of their Rye that’s hand-made with 100% Texas-grown grains. We love it because it’s not just packed with tasty rye spice but adds an underlying sweetness with flavors of caramel, vanilla, and coconut. It starts you off gently with aromas of cherry and brown sugar, tightens its grip with peanuts and warm pecan pie, and ends the ride with cinnamon candy. It’s Texas right to its core

Travelling up north to Waco, it’s time to revisit our ole friends at Balcones Distilling. Combining classic techniques with contemporary ways of crafting, they pay homage to centuries of American distilling tradition. And the result is their silky Texas Single Malt Whiskey that’s an explosion of fruity flavors, it’s long finish nothing short of the very definition of Malt.

 

Bottoms up!

Smartass Corner

Before you get Spirited away, check out a few fun facts that’ll make you shake in your boots:

1) Young but feisty. It was only 2006 that the Garrison Brothers Distillery was granted the first distilling permit for Bourbon outside of Kentucky and Tennessee, making it the oldest legal Bourbon distillery in Texas. But don’t let numbers fool you, the Texan Bourbon boom is booming as we drink.

2) In Texas, everything is bigger, Bourbon included. In fact, not only can Texans compete with their Bourbon at home, they’re going global. The renowned Whiskey reviewer and author of the Whiskey Bible, Jim Murray, has ranked Texas Bourbon among the best in the world.

3) Crank up the heat. While its northeastern Spirit cousins have four complete seasons, Texas can pack four seasons into one week. These shifts in temperature, from 90 to 135, strongly affect how Whiskey interacts with the wood of the barrel, giving Texas Spirits their unique flavor.

4) Extra small barrels with an extra-large wallop. Besides naming their Spirits after ancient firearms, Ranger Creek uses small barrels, which dramatically speeds up the aging process, producing an incredibly mature Rye Whiskey under 19 months.

5) Good for business. Historically, Texas farmlands haven’t been used for barley. Until now. The new ‘Spiritual’ movement has prompted farmers to grow barley specifically for Whiskey production. And with Texas being the second largest US market for Spirits, it’s a perfect hand-in-glove situation.

What's in the box

  • 1 American Whiskey
  • 2 Bourbons
  • caramel
  • spicy
  • butter
  • pear
  • marmalade
  • toasted
  • banana
  • orange
  • sweet
Balcones American Whiskey
  • smoky
  • sweet
  • caramel
  • peaty
  • spicy notes
  • oak
  • vanilla
  • brown sugar
  • dark fruit
Alamo Bourbon
  • fruit
  • cherry
  • woody
  • rye
  • banana
  • coconut
  • peanut
  • cinnamon
  • tea
Yellow Rose Distilling Bourbon
The Flaviar tasting box
Dog Dogson's Smartass corner
Character Dogson
Bourbon rules refer to manufacturing methods rather than location. Bourbon must be matured in new and charred American white oak casks for at least 2 years. If the bottle has no age statement, the Bourbon is at least 4 years old. No coloring or flavoring of any type is allowed, and the mash bill must contain at least 51% corn.

Balcones has the tallest copper pot stills in the world, featuring proprietary helical lyne arms that were designed and built by the famed Forsyths of Scotland.

is the fermentation process by which a percentage of a previous fermentation is added to a new batch as a "starter" to get the fermentation going and maintain a level of consistency from batch to batch. A sweet mash means that only fresh yeast is added to a new batch to start fermentation.
Corn Whiskey is a commercial product that must contain at least 80% corn, be distilled at less than 80% ABV (160 proof), and, if wood-aged, may be aged in either used or new un-charred barrels.
Moonshine Whiskey is distilled from a varied mix of corn and sugar and is aged in Mason jars and jugs for the length of time it takes the customers to get home.
On New Year’s Eve 2014, co-founders Daniel Taylor and Noel Burns started brainstorming ideas for a business they could start together and after about 20 minutes they decided to start their own distillery.
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