Distilling Destinations
LONG-DISTANCE NEIGHBORS STAY CLOSE IN TEXAS Distillers in Texas are working hard to show off their spirits while playing into the regionality, climate and collaborative spirit of the state. BY JOHN HOLL
Craft distilling might not be the biggest industry in Texas, a state where size matters. But it does have heart, and plenty of it. In and around the greater Austin area, where vast expanses of land are all that connect one populated area to the other, the small distilleries that have opened in recent years strive for a spirit of cooperation, knowing that while their products might differ it will be the
camaraderie that will help them survive. “Everyone knows each other,” says Mark Shilling, the founder of Shilling/Crafted and the immediate past president of the American Craft Spirits Association. “Even if we’re not physically close, because that’s a challenge we have, we do try to see each other regularly.” It is difficult to assign one culture to such a big swath of land, and Texans are loyal not
Hill Country Distillers uses prickly pear cactus, jalapenos, peaches and other fruits.
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only to their state, but their regions, as well. The distilleries that have opened in the cities like Fort Worth, Waco, Houston and San Antonio each have their own identity, and even if they are making similar products, like a bourbon, the difference in geography can play a role on the final result. Thomas Mote of Balcones Distilling in Waco makes it a point to talk about the microclimates in the state, and notes that his location “is not as humid as in Houston, but we have hotter hots and colder colds, we hit both peaks on both ends of the spectrum.” As a result, and because they expose their barrels to the temperature swings, he sees an 8-9% angel’s share loss each year. “It’s like what you’d see in Scotland,” he says. Waco has been on a tourism upswing and Mote is using that to educate customers who walk through his doors, possibly on their first distillery visit. “We tell them this is Texas whiskey, and that it’s not fair to compare it to what they know, but rather what makes us different and special.”
C R AF T S PI R I T S MAG .CO M