Still Austin Rye: Coming soon
Still Austin has quite a following here in Louisiana and for good reason- They make damn fine whiskey. Not only is it my favorite brand coming out of Texas, but it competes nicely with more famous bourbons from other states. With Nancy Fraley lurking in the shadows conjuring the dark liquor magic, this brand tends to shock those that haven’t had or heard of it. If you tell someone ahead of time that it’s from Texas, one might hear bold proclamations of- “TEXAS whiskey, TEXAS?, NO WAY IMA DRINK MORE BIG-HAT NO-CATTLE WHISKEY.” If you don’t tell them beforehand, or they are unaware that it’s from Texas, one is more likely to hear something along the lines of- “Oh, wow, this is good, like REALLY good.”
At some point we will do a feature on whiskey labels, and rest assured, Still Austin will be included in the piece due to their incredible artwork on all of their bottles. Especially the one on the right (giggle).
Quite a few fellow locals sing from the same hymn book- Still Austin makes whiskey that doesn’t scream TEXAS! It is simply just very good whiskey, period. The releases coming from Still Austin have been well regarded overall, and they are one of those brands that can change your opinion about a region and their style of whiskey. Most Texas whiskey is BOLD, aggressive and hot. Rough around the edges, untamed, assertive and proud, Texas whiskey is not for people that are used to a more refined style of North American whiskey. Like all regions, people acquire a taste for it and then it becomes their go-to style, and obviously that region has loads of fans. Still Austin is not hardcore Texas, it takes a dash of Texas soul and melds it with a dash or two of Kentucky heart, and it sits in-between the two in style, and they have been holding something back that I cannot wait to share with you- a Rye!
Part, of “The Artist” series, this 100% rye whiskey is ready to go and it’s coming soon. Image credit to Coming Whiskey.
I have been fortunate enough to have been able to taste Still Austin’s unreleased rye whiskey in various stages of age, each time thinking, “what in the holy hand grenade are you waiting for? RELEASE THIS NOW!” Each time Still Austin responded with “hold your damn horses SIR! We want to give it more damn time.” Well, they didn’t say it exactly like that, but it’s essentially true, they wanted to let it age just a bit more and improve. Improve on what I have no idea, that damn whiskey was damn good damnit. We don’t have any idea what the final proof will be, or how many bottles/cases etc.. but when I know, you’ll know.
Currently my favorite rye out of the Lone Star State, although it smells terrible, it tastes great. No data on whether or not it’s less filling.
Whenever I had the chance at another glass (most recently at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival) it has in fact shown enormous improvement, so what the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks do I know? Fortunately for the whiskey fan, Still Austin doesn’t subscribe to my foolish haste and defers to Nancy and the team who kinda know what they’re doing (I mean, Nancy is about as legendary as legends go). They clearly delayed bottling with deliberate intent. So we all have had to patiently wait, but that wait is coming to an end soon, and I will be posting a review the moment I get my hands on your newest favorite rye from Texas, yes, Texas.
- Mickey Pinstripe