Austin’s Getting Its First Whiskey Distillery Since Prohibition
Photos by Richard Casteel
In a city that prides itself in local beer, wine and spirits, it’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 100 years since Austin has opened its own whiskey distillery. But in The Yard, an unassuming industrial park off St. Elmo Street, Still Austin Whiskey Co. has broken ground on what will soon be the first whiskey distillery within city limits since Prohibition.
Chris Seals and his business partners (three families, including his own) came together over a love of whiskey a desire to bring the idea of “grain to glass,” or, completely scratch-made whiskey, to Austin. Further, they wanted a place where whiskey novices and experts alike could enjoy the spirit.
Aside from regulations and the increasingly difficult feat of finding open and affordable space in Austin, there are a few reasons why Austin has yet to have a whiskey distillery. Seals explained that before Prohibition, local distilleries were common and there were about 8,000 throughout the U.S. These distilleries used local grains with their own unique flavor profiles, meaning that whiskies varied widely in taste across the country or even state lines. After Prohibition wiped out the majority of local distilleries leaving only 18 big names who had the money to stay afloat, the market for local grains was wiped out. Yellow Dent #3, the grain the surviving whiskey distilleries used, became the default from that point forward. This practice persisted because there has never been a rebirth in the demand for new grains.
Kris Bohm, the production manager and lead brewer for Still, plans to use Bloody Butcher, a strain of grain local to Austin that looks like blood, in their recipe. Bohm snagged the position by sending a resume accompanied by samples of his own whiskey creations that impressed Seals and team. Bohm’s excited to start working with local breweries to create whiskies out of their beers. “Whiskey begins its life as beer,” says Bohm, “and good beer makes great whiskey.” Bohm and Seals are well aware of the wealth of breweries in the city and are excited to work with them.
