Still Austin Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

Still Austin Bourbon
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Founded in 2015, Still Austin Whiskey Co. entered what was already a crowded small distillery scene in the Lone Star State. When I began covering Texas craft whiskey in 2011, there were already several distilleries with in-house products on the market; that sector has only continued to grow in the years since, with new entrants arriving and early entrants growing. Texas has been a strong contender for the spot of America’s third-ranked whiskey state for several years now.

Still Austin is one of the clients of consulting Master Blender Nancy Fraley (whom I wanted to interview for American Whiskey, but that never worked out) and Master Distiller Mike Delevante (best known in the rum industry), and run by Head Distiller John Schrepel. The company now has there in-house bourbon ready, based on a mash bill of 70% locally grown and milled white corn (if you enjoy local bakery-made tortillas in Austin, it’s the same stuff), 25% rye (some wrongly call that a high-rye proportion) and 5% malted barley.

The Bourbon
The drink takes on a light amber look in the glass, with lots of gold and copper joining the red and brown. The scent is a crisp one, akin to a crafty caramel candy, flavored with plenty of spearmint.

The mouthfeel on this bourbon is a light one, while the flavor is simple, but pleasant. Brown sugar and vanilla meet cinnamon and spearmint. The finish rolls off the spicy notes, closing with a fair degree of directness on spearmint and cinnamon.

I’m not familiar with the particular strain of rye chosen by the distillery, so having no idea what it tastes like in bread or beer, I can’t really comment on how special it might be. However, I think it really sang out in what was otherwise a fairly light, even at 98.4 proof, bourbon.

The Price
Many croakers whine about how much craft whiskeys cost, but this one is priced at a pretty reasonable $45 a bottle.