Each year the Texas Whiskey Festival hosts a competition to determine who has the best Texas Bourbon, Rye, and Malt Whiskey. With a panel of judges, we conduct the competition with a method known as blind judging. The brands and specific whiskeys they are tasting are unknown to the judges. “Our panel of judges smell and taste their way through each whiskey, rating the aroma, taste complexity, and finish,” says Co-Founder Jake Clements.
Bourbon: Grain to Glass
Still Austin Whiskey Co. - Cask Strength Straight Bourbon
Shire Distilling Co. - Cask Strength Percheron Bourbon
Ironroot Republic Distilling - Harbinger 115 Straight Bourbon
Bourbon: Aged and Bottled in Texas
Iron Wolf Ranch and Distillery - 6 year Single Barrel Bourbon
Oak & Eden - Bourbon & Vine
Luckenbach Road Whiskey - Straight Bourbon
Rye Whiskey: Grain to Glass
Tahwahkaro Distilling - Texas Rye Malt Whiskey
Maverick Whiskey - Straight Rye Whiskey
Devils River Whiskey - Straight Rye Whiskey
Rye Whiskey: Aged and Bottled in Texas
William Price Distilling - Straight Rye finished in bourbon barrels
Oak & Eden - Rye & Rumba
Old Humble Distilling Company - Double Oak Straight Rye
Malt Whiskey: Grain to Glass
Andalusia Whiskey Co. - Stryker Smoked Single Malt
Acre Distilling Co. - Texas Single Malt
Spirit of Texas Brewing and Distilling - Pfluger Single Malt Whiskey
Other Whiskeys: includes whiskeys aged in used barrels, blended whiskey, and light whiskey.
Austin Craft Spirits - Austin 85 Light Whiskey
Maverick Whiskey - Straight Triticale Whiskey
Dripping Springs Distilling - Republic Whiskey
Thank you to the Crowded Barrel Whiskey Co for hosting us. A big thank you to our talented judges.
Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is a whiskey writer and the owner/editor in chief of The Whiskey Wash, an award winning whiskey lifestyle website.
Mark Shilling is the CEO at SUSTO Mezcal and Partner at Big Thirst.
Big Thirst represents some Texas brands, but Mark does not work on production of any brands in the whiskey category.
Lance Kotal, Friend of the Festival, Tejas level and a big fan of whiskey.