02-15-2025, 07:18 PM
Can't Find Pappy Van Winkle? Reach for This Texas Wheated Bourbon Instead
-Story by Jonah Flicker
There are so many great affordable bourbons to choose from that are made by legacy distilleries in Kentucky, like Wild Turkey, James B. Beam Distilling Co., Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and Buffalo Trace, to name a few. But there are also some small distilleries outside of the Bluegrass State that are making great bourbon that's worth seeking out, like Woodinville Whiskey in Washington, Redwood Empire in California, and Cooks Mill in North Carolina.
Then there's Texas, a huge state with a number of distilleries that're making an impact on the category. One of the best is TX Whiskey, a small distillery owned by French drinks giant Pernod Ricard since 2019. The brand makes a straight bourbon that easily competes with the big names.
Located in Fort Worth, TX Whiskey was founded in 2010 as Firestone & Robertson—named after its founders—and released its first blended whiskey a year later. The distillery currently sits on a beautiful 112-acre former golf course and country club with a view of downtown Fort Worth. It’s a sprawling space with a tasting room and gift shop, and while the actual distillery is pretty small, the whiskey is made in a huge 55-foot column still, the biggest west of the Mississippi, according to the team. The grains are sourced from local Texas farmers, and the yeast used during the fermentation process comes from pecans grown in the area.
TX Whiskey still produces its core blend, which is a combination of sourced whiskey and neutral grain spirits, but unfortunately, I don’t like this whiskey very much. I find it to be overly sweet and thin with outsized vanilla notes, akin to cheap bottles from brands like Seagram’s 7 or Philadelphia Whiskey. But the blended expression isn't really meant for me or other more seasoned whiskey drinkers. It’s an entry-level spirit that's supposed to appeal, by the distillery team’s own admission, to people who think they don’t like whiskey and want to try it in a cocktail.
The brand's bourbon is entirely another story, however. First released in 2016 at the original distillery location in downtown Fort Worth, the whiskey is a wheated expression, like other popular bourbons Maker's Mark, Larceny, Weller, and the ever-elusive Pappy Van Winkle. Called TX Straight Bourbon, it's made from a mashbill of 74 percent yellow dent corn, 14 percent soft red winter wheat, and 12 percent malted barley. It's also aged for about four years and bottled at 90 proof, which is higher than some of its Kentucky contemporaries.
On a recent visit to the distillery, I had a chance to taste the bourbon in the distillery’s beautiful hidden tasting room. It was fantastic. Notes of caramel, vanilla, oak, and brown sugar intermingle with hints of fruit, dark berries, spice, and toasted nuts. It's a bourbon worth sipping and certainly would work splendidly in any variety of cocktails.
TX Whiskey has a few cask-finished versions of its bourbon as well, including expressions that spend time in sweet Pedro Ximinez sherry barrels, port pipes, or French oak cognac casks. There are also single barrel bottled-in-bond versions of the bourbon and a barrel-proof release. And the distillery team gets a chance to stretch its creative whiskey wings with the Experimental Series. Past releases have included a bourbon and rye blend and a bourbon finished in apricot brandy and sherry casks.
There'll likely be more new releases in the coming years—fans speculate a rye—but if you are going to start with one TX Whiskey bottle, skip the blend and start with the fantastic straight bourbon. For a price point under $50, you won’t be disappointed.
-Story by Jonah Flicker
There are so many great affordable bourbons to choose from that are made by legacy distilleries in Kentucky, like Wild Turkey, James B. Beam Distilling Co., Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and Buffalo Trace, to name a few. But there are also some small distilleries outside of the Bluegrass State that are making great bourbon that's worth seeking out, like Woodinville Whiskey in Washington, Redwood Empire in California, and Cooks Mill in North Carolina.
Then there's Texas, a huge state with a number of distilleries that're making an impact on the category. One of the best is TX Whiskey, a small distillery owned by French drinks giant Pernod Ricard since 2019. The brand makes a straight bourbon that easily competes with the big names.
Located in Fort Worth, TX Whiskey was founded in 2010 as Firestone & Robertson—named after its founders—and released its first blended whiskey a year later. The distillery currently sits on a beautiful 112-acre former golf course and country club with a view of downtown Fort Worth. It’s a sprawling space with a tasting room and gift shop, and while the actual distillery is pretty small, the whiskey is made in a huge 55-foot column still, the biggest west of the Mississippi, according to the team. The grains are sourced from local Texas farmers, and the yeast used during the fermentation process comes from pecans grown in the area.
TX Whiskey still produces its core blend, which is a combination of sourced whiskey and neutral grain spirits, but unfortunately, I don’t like this whiskey very much. I find it to be overly sweet and thin with outsized vanilla notes, akin to cheap bottles from brands like Seagram’s 7 or Philadelphia Whiskey. But the blended expression isn't really meant for me or other more seasoned whiskey drinkers. It’s an entry-level spirit that's supposed to appeal, by the distillery team’s own admission, to people who think they don’t like whiskey and want to try it in a cocktail.
The brand's bourbon is entirely another story, however. First released in 2016 at the original distillery location in downtown Fort Worth, the whiskey is a wheated expression, like other popular bourbons Maker's Mark, Larceny, Weller, and the ever-elusive Pappy Van Winkle. Called TX Straight Bourbon, it's made from a mashbill of 74 percent yellow dent corn, 14 percent soft red winter wheat, and 12 percent malted barley. It's also aged for about four years and bottled at 90 proof, which is higher than some of its Kentucky contemporaries.
On a recent visit to the distillery, I had a chance to taste the bourbon in the distillery’s beautiful hidden tasting room. It was fantastic. Notes of caramel, vanilla, oak, and brown sugar intermingle with hints of fruit, dark berries, spice, and toasted nuts. It's a bourbon worth sipping and certainly would work splendidly in any variety of cocktails.
TX Whiskey has a few cask-finished versions of its bourbon as well, including expressions that spend time in sweet Pedro Ximinez sherry barrels, port pipes, or French oak cognac casks. There are also single barrel bottled-in-bond versions of the bourbon and a barrel-proof release. And the distillery team gets a chance to stretch its creative whiskey wings with the Experimental Series. Past releases have included a bourbon and rye blend and a bourbon finished in apricot brandy and sherry casks.
There'll likely be more new releases in the coming years—fans speculate a rye—but if you are going to start with one TX Whiskey bottle, skip the blend and start with the fantastic straight bourbon. For a price point under $50, you won’t be disappointed.
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