About
Austin's first whiskey distillery, founded in 2015 by three friends determined to make grain-to-glass bourbon and rye in the heart of Texas. Located south of the Colorado River in Austin, the distillery uses a custom-built 42-foot copper column still designed by Vendome Copper & Brass. Head distiller John Schrepel and master blender Nancy Fraley craft a Texas-forward bourbon using locally sourced non-GMO grains. Their flagship 'The Musician' straight bourbon and 'The Artist' straight rye showcase how Texas heat accelerates maturation, producing bold, full-flavored whiskeys in less time than Kentucky counterparts. A key player in the Texas craft whiskey scene alongside Balcones and Garrison Brothers.
Production Details
The Still Austin Tale
South of the Colorado River, where Austin's skyline gives way to the rolling limestone hills, three friends stood on empty ground in 2015 with a dream that would reshape Texas whiskey. The city that made "Keep Austin Weird" a battle cry was about to get its first whiskey distillery, and Still Austin would prove that weird could be wonderful.
The land beneath their feet told the story before they ever laid foundation. Texas Hill Country aquifer water, filtered through millions of years of limestone, would become the lifeblood of their operation. This wasn't just water—it was liquid geology, carrying the mineral signature of ancient seas and the purity that only deep earth can provide.
When the 42-foot copper column still arrived from Vendome Copper & Brass, it wasn't just equipment being installed—it was a statement. Custom-built for Austin's ambitions, the towering column would transform local non-GMO grains into something distinctly Texan. Head distiller John Schrepel and master blender Nancy Fraley understood they weren't just making whiskey; they were pioneering a grain-to-glass philosophy in a state known more for oil than alcohol.
The Texas heat that sends visitors scrambling for air conditioning became their secret weapon. While Kentucky distillers waited years for their whiskey to mature, Still Austin watched the relentless summer sun work its magic on their warehouses. The temperature swings that define Central Texas—scorching days, cooling nights—drove their bourbon and rye deep into the char, then back out again, accelerating maturation in ways their northern counterparts could only envy.
By the time "The Musician" straight bourbon and "The Artist" straight rye began flowing, Still Austin had claimed its place alongside Balcones and Garrison Brothers in the Texas craft whiskey revolution. They proved that Austin's creative spirit extended beyond music and technology into the ancient art of distillation.
Today, that 42-foot column still reaches toward the Texas sky like a copper monument to possibility, transforming Hill Country grain and aquifer water into liquid expressions of place. The three friends' empty ground has become hallowed space where tradition meets innovation, one batch at a time.