Still Austin Tanager Cigar Blend Bourbon Review (2025)

By Randall H. Borkus

Rating: B+

Still Austin Tanager Cigar Blend Bourbon is the second Tanager edition. The preceding 2024 edition was aged 5 years, and this 2025 Tanager is aged for at least 6 years. Both were hand-selected by Master Blender Nancy Fraley and Master Distiller John Schrepel.  You can watch Nancy Fraley discuss the progression that led to Still Austin Tanager Cigar Blend Bourbon 2025.

One of the things that makes this whiskey unique is the proofing method. Instead of using plain water for proofing, Still Austin implemented a lower-proof version of the same spirit, a process borrowed from the Cognac industry called Petites Eaux.

From Still Austin’s website: “To create our most premium offering to date, Nancy and John combined Still Austin’s finest 6-year old high rye bourbon with pure Texas water and aged it to at least 50 proof for at least one year before adding it to the base whiskey for final proofing. This ancient blending technique, known as Petites Eaux (small waters), has been used for centuries in the Cognac and Armagnac regions of France.” This is “unique to Tanager, [Still Austin] employed the old-world method of adding barrel aged water to the whiskey blend during final proofing, lengthening the palate.”

The 2025 Tanager cigar blend is a composite of 53% blue corn bourbon, 25% red corn bourbon, 22% white corn bourbon, and all the component bourbons are at least 6 years old and bottled at 107.5 proof.

The Bourbon
The Tanager whiskey is dark bronze in my glass. The nose is full of dusty corn notes, mocha dust, and chocolaty mint. The mouthfeel is syrupy with hints of fresh leather, soft oak tannins, citrus peel on the front palate, while the mid-palate is soft and full of dark dried fruits, whipped-vanilla marmalade and true oak spice.

The finish is long and vicious coating my throat with hints a dark brandy, mocha, dark fruits, Caramelized-vanilla pudding and sweet oak.  After my empty glass aired for 5 minutes, the nose held an oaky after glow with fruit overtones that roll on and on just like the finish!

This is sophisticated Texas whiskey. If I find one at retail pricing, it comes home with me. It may may not be Nancy Fraley most elegant cigar blend ever, yet I promise you will want to make space on your home bar for a bottle and enjoy endless pours until the bottle is but a memory.

The Price
Still Austn Tanager was available in select liquor stores and at the distillery for $149.00 for a 750ml bottle and significantly more on the after market.