10 Great Texas Distilleries to Tour and Taste

Ironroot Republic Distillery

Near the Texas-Oklahoma border in the small city of Denison, Texas, Ironroot Republic Distillery welcomes visitors to its huge 15,000-square foot space in a former boat dealership. An area this large is helpful because Ironroot Republic prides itself on doing everything from scratch. The grains are mashed and fermented in-house before being distilled in the large stills that dominate the front room.

The spirits age in various types of barrels in the back of the facility. During the aging process, owners Robert and Jonathan Likarish test each one every 4-6 weeks to ensure that the products are progressing as planned. When needed, they move the liquid to different barrels to draw out unique characteristics from the wood. You can get the full story during a tour.

Ironroot Republic has a long product list, including vodka, gin, and moonshine. They make a range of aged whiskeys, including a bourbon, a corn whiskey, and blended products finished in port and Cognac barrels. Their Harbinger Straight Bourbon was named World’s Best Bourbon, cementing Ironroot’s reputation as one of the best distilleries in Texas. Stop in for a Saturday tour to learn how they make it.

Balcones Distilling

One of the best craft distilleries in Texas, Balcones Distilling consistently makes liquors that win accolades. Balcones was started by two partners who made everything themselves–from the stills to the heat exchangers–in a welding shop under a bridge in Waco. Though they have since moved to a much larger and sleeker facility, that same level of care remains in the product line of remarkable whiskies and rum that has helped Balcones become internationally renowned.

Their flagship product is Texas Single Malt Whisky, a smooth spirit that smells like banana bread and honey. It is responsible for many of Balcones’ awards and helped propel them to worldwide recognition. My favorite is Baby Blue, which smells like buttered corn and has a slightly nutty taste. It’s the first Texas whiskey sold since Prohibition and the first blue corn whiskey made anywhere. Also not to be missed is Rumble, an unclassified spirit with brandy and rum-like qualities that has notes of honey, cinnamon, and spice.

Schedule a tour of the distillery Thursday through Saturday or stop by for a tasting or cocktail Tuesday through Saturday.

Still Austin Whiskey Co.

The first whiskey distillery in Austin since Prohibition, Still Austin is about all things Texas. From the grains that go into its whiskeys to the botanicals for their rye gin, Still Austin stays true to its Lone Star roots. A stop here is one of the fun things to do when you visit Austin.

Still Austin is designed to showcase the craft of whiskey making, which is clear from the moment you step into the 10,000-square-foot space. Giant windows in the tasting room show everything happening on the distillery floor just a few feet away.

A tour of the distillery gives a view that’s even closer up. As I visited the facility, I learned about the complete process of making their whiskeys and gin. It begins with grain selection for the different kinds of whiskeys. Then there’s the fermentation process (in vats named after famous writers like Hunter S. Thompson), distilling in their 42-foot-tall column still (named Nancy), and aging.

Fans who want to go beyond a tour can take part in whiskey making workshops, help with bottling, or even purchase their own barrel of aging bourbon.

Still Austin Whiskey Co. has seven products available now. Their focus is rye gin and ongoing releases of their straight bourbon, straight rye, and red corn bourbon whiskey. They offer distillery tours and drinks every day except Monday. There is a food truck on the grounds serving fish sandwiches and smashburgers, and there’s often live music.

Dripping Springs Distilling

Dripping Springs Distilling is doing something unique among Texas distilleries—instead of making their products in one or two large stills, they use handmade, 50-gallon copper stills. The stills require more work and attention than other types of equipment, but owners Kevin and Gary Kelleher feel the effort is worth it for their spirits.

On a tour, you can see the distillation process in action. Throughout the building, there are batches of vodka and gin in various stages of readiness. Many are infusing with the different botanicals and fruits (zested by hand on site) that go into the flavorful products.

The first distiller in the Hill Country, Dripping Springs Distilling has made vodka since 2007 and gin since 2014. They add complexity to the product line by having multiple options of each spirit, which can be tried in their tasting room. They also offer 1876 Bourbon, which is made from yellow Texas corn and winter rye and aged for 3 to 5 years.

As much as I enjoyed the vodkas, the gins were my favorites. They’re infused with nine botanicals, including lavender, cardamom, and orange. The Artisan Gin is a more floral product (which I love), and the Traditional Gin is a juniper-forward London gin.

Stop by the distillery in Dripping Springs for a tour or a tasting Thursday through Sunday. There are also frequent fun events like live music, trivia, and themed parties and competitions.

Treaty Oak Distilling

Treaty Oak Distilling is more than just a distillery–it’s one of the coolest places to visit near Austin. Located in Dripping Springs, the huge plot of land they lovingly call “the ranch” is practically a community center with a little bit of everything. There are weekend food trucks and an open-air bar serving flights of spirits and lots of cocktails, some of which include products only available at the distillery. Games, a playground, and regular live music add to the family-friendly atmosphere.

Treaty Oak uses Texas grain to produce their grain-to-glass whiskey, Ghost Hill Texas whiskey. They also sell Red Handed Bourbon and Schenley Reserve Rye, two products made with outsourced whiskey, while they continue making their own new takes on the spirit. In addition to whiskeys, their series of Waterloo gins include unique flavor profiles, including one aged in the tradition style of Dutch genever.

Garrison Brothers Distillery

Several miles off the highway in the Hill Country, an area known predominantly for its wine, stands one of the most well-recognized Texas distilleries, Garrison Brothers Distillery. The first legal whiskey distillery in Texas, Garrison Brothers makes only bourbon, and they want it to be the best.

Garrison Brothers has a strict “corn-to-cork” approach, which is outlined during the tours they give each week around the property. They do everything from making the mash to bottling the bourbon. Their numerous awards show the value of the hands-on approach.

Garrison Brothers currently has eight products available. Their annual release of their Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey is always aged at least 3 years and is one of the smoothest bourbons out there. The Single Barrel Bourbon is also highly sought-after.

Garrison Brothers also makes Cowboy Bourbon, a cask-strength, limited release bourbon made from their favorite barrels, and Balmorhea, a twice-barreled bourbon whiskey. They have two other types of straight bourbon whiskey–Guadalupe, which is finished in port wine casks, and Honeydew, which is infused with Texas honey.

Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday.

Deep Eddy Vodka

Deep Eddy Distillery, a hometown favorite, straddles the line between a craft distillery and a major corporation. Located just a half-hour outside the capital, it still heavily identifies with Austin but is in liquor stores and bars everywhere. Still, its Dripping Springs home is the only place you can have a cocktail made by the Deep Eddy bartenders.

Information in the tasting room walks visitors through the stages of distillation and offers a lesson in the ingredients that go into the flavored vodkas, including real fruit juices, local honey, and Texas Hill Country water.

Even without a tour, the Deep Eddy tasting room is a fun place to visit. All the cocktails are designed to showcase the products—straight vodka, grapefruit, lemon, peach, orange, cranberry, and sweet tea—in traditional and unexpected ways, like combining multiple flavors of vodka into some killer drinks. My favorite was the Olio Twist, featuring the orange and ruby red grapefruit vodkas and a lemon oil shrub. The tasting room is open Thursday through Sunday.

You can try a cocktail, visit a food truck that’s frequently on site, and enjoy the live music and games on the hilltop patio.

Bendt Distilling Co.

Bendt Distilling Co. (formerly Witherspoon Distillery) focuses their efforts primarily on whiskey. Core products include Bendt No. 5 American Blended Whiskey and a line of unblended straight whiskeys, including wheat, rye, and straight bourbon whiskey. They also make gin, brandy, and a Texas agave spirit that we enjoy.

Between Friday and Saturday, there are 5 opportunities to sample the best Bendt has to offer on a tour of their North Texas distillery. Visitors will learn about the history of distilling and how Bendt’s products are made. With or without a tour, you can hang out in the huge bar or lounge in their patio area. A visit here is a great addition to any weekend trip to Dallas.

Revolution Spirits

Innovation and partnership are the names of the game at Revolution Spirits. Working with a number of local companies, they produce liqueurs and other spirits.

My favorite offerings from Revolution are Cafecito and Chocolate Cafecito, a fabulous coffee liqueur and its coffee-and-chocolate cousin. Austin specialty purveyors Cuvee Coffee and SRSLY Chocolate contribute their products to make the liqueurs as smooth and flavorful as they are. Past partnerships with local cideries and breweries like Jester King have led to delicious apple brandy made from barrel aged cider and fruit liqueurs made using fruit pulp from farmhouse ales.

Revolution Spirits’ flagship product is its Austin Reserve Gin. The floral spirit has flavors of juniper, rosemary, and grapefruit, among others. You can try the straightforward version or something from the Single Barrel Series in which the gin is aged in different types of wood—on my visit, they were using whiskey barrels from Ironroot Republic.

The cocktail bar and tasting room is open on Saturdays, and tours of the production area are available by request during those hours.

Desert Door Distillery

A cozy tasting room, lots of outdoor seating, and one of the most unique spirits distilled in Texas combine to make Desert Door Distillery an absolute must visit. Tasting room visitors can see the spirit—sotol—come to life before their eyes thanks to the large windows that give a great view of the still.

Sotol, which is the name of both the spirit and the plant it is made from, smells a lot like tequila but tastes more like gin. It is smooth with hints of caramel, orange, and a tiny bit of herb. I did not expect to enjoy it, but, after a tasting and cocktail, walked away wondering how many bottles were too many to take with me.

Most visitors to Desert Door are either sotol lovers or complete newbies, so the staff is used to being very patient as they describe the production process and the flavors in detail. It’s a welcoming experience for those who are unfamiliar with this curious liquor made from a plant that is wild harvested in West Texas.

A tasting includes the Original sotol, an Oak-Aged version that has light vanilla and toffee notes, and a flavored version, depending on what they’re experimenting with. There are also lots of cocktails to choose from. The tasting room has a fireplace and couches so comfortable you’ll never want to leave. Outside, there are picnic tables, games, a food truck, and frequent live music, so there’s lots to enjoy here. Schedule a tour on Saturday or Sunday.