This Affordable Texas Rye Is Just As Good, If Not Better, Than Its Kentucky Competitors

Texas is having a big moment in pop culture, from music's biggest stars like Beyoncè to Netflix's deep dive into Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders to the fashion bastion of Western wear. Matthew McConaughey even convinced fellow movie star Glen Powell to leave Hollywood and return to their home state of Texas.

So it shouldn't be all that surprising that the Lone Star State has made its mark on the best-stocked bars and liquor stores.

Texas-based distilleries such as Garrison Brothers, Iron Wolf Ranch and Silver Star Spirits have established themselves on the shelves and gained respect among whiskey aficionados and Kentucky giants. Earlier this year, Beyoncè even introduced her own brand, SirDavis, which is distilled in Indiana and shipped to Texas to finish in sherry barrels before being blended and bottled.

While each of these brands has garnered its share of fanfare, there's another bottle that's turning heads: Still Austin Whiskey Co.'s Straight Rye, aptly named The Artist. First off, the brand's eye-catching artwork by talented Texan artist Marc Burckhardt really stands out from the crowd. More importantly, of course, is the liquid inside the bottle. Priced at $50 a bottle and with complex notes that are as delicious as biting into a chocolate-candied orange, this fiery rye will be my go-to for all holiday festivities this year—especially since 99.6 proof is the sweet spot for mixing in Manhattans, my family favorite in the cooler months cocktail.

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Behind this masterpiece is acclaimed master blender Nancy “The Nose” Fraley. He met Still Austin co-founders Cleveland and Chris Seals at one of his whiskey classes in 2013 and immediately hit it off with the father-son duo. Together they started with a blank canvas; It's a dream come true for Fraley.

“I had always wanted to work with them at a distillery to help create the vision before distilling even a drop of alcohol,” says Fraley.

He was drawn to their concept of creating a modern whiskey brand that celebrates Austin and all the creative types who call it home. Along with the Artist, Musician and Naturalist, he represents one of the fundamental personalities of Austinites.

“It impressed me a lot,” says Fraley, who is originally from Tennessee and is also an amateur guitarist.

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Ten years later, he and Seals, along with Still Austin's head distiller John Schrepel, realized that vision. When a sip of The Artist touches the tongue, the taste palate becomes as colorful as a painter's palette.

“We wanted to create something completely unique and not be influenced by anyone else,” Fraley says of the blending process. “You still know it as rye, but it's also something that belongs to us.”

Central Texas also helps in this regard. First, the spirits are made from 100 percent Texas-grown grains like white corn, Brasetto rye, and Wildfire Pale Malt barley. Then, barrels in the Bluegrass State lie dormant during the cooler months of the year as unrelenting heat and humidity accelerate the maturation process.

“When the temperature of the liquid drops to about 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, ripening stops and stops,” says Fraley.

The angels must be thirstier in Texas. This means the taste of Still Austin's two-year whiskey is comparable to four-year Kentucky whiskey. And the accelerated timeline certainly worked in their favor, as The Artist won Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition last year; Just three years after Still Austin began releasing the bottles.

Of course, not every drinker will appreciate this maverick approach, and I wouldn't expect them to. After all, the artistic lifestyle is not for everyone. By contrast, Still Austin's Straight Rye Whiskey is for those who, like a true Austinite, prefer to keep it weird.

Looking ahead, Fraley and the Still Austin team plan to increase production, experiment with aging, and launch a cigar blend. And just as Texas has left an indelible mark on fashion, music, and real estate, it's probably only a matter of time before Texas whiskey does the same for the spirits industry.

“We're always trying to improve our game,” Fraley says. “Get ready to see a lot more Still Austin.”

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