6 Woman-Run Whiskey Distilleries in Texas
The summer in Texas can be brutal. Temperatures rise across the 268,596 square miles of the entire state, making for downright oppressive conditions.
With the heat permeating everything from the gulf to the edge of New Mexico, it’s a good thing Texas has really good whiskey to sip. And some of those whiskey distilleries crafting lovely liquids are run by women.
We couldn’t resist the opportunity to celebrate the hardworking Texan Women in Distilling. Here’s to five of these distilleries, all of which we highly recommend you visit the next time you’re traveling through. If you happen to be local, even better! Make a point of dropping into your nearest woman-led Texas whiskey distillery.
Coastal Bend Distilling
Since Coastal Bend Distilling launched in 2016, Director of Marketing Lindsay Horton has been building the brand and leading spirit label development. As part of her role, she’s written the story behind each product and piloted a growing marketing team that’s welcomed even more women to the brand and the industry.
Lindsay’s hard work paid off when Coastal Bend’s Colonel Fannin's Whiskey earned a silver at the 2020 John Barleycorn Awards for label design. The whiskey itself is also remarkable in its own right. Named for a legend of local history, a man who died nearby fighting for the Texas Republic Army in the mid-18th century, the whiskey features notes of honey and tastes equally as delicious neat as it does tucked into a cocktail.
Taste Colonel Fannin’s Whiskey and all of the other spirits Coastal Bend produces. Tasting Room hours are limited so check with the distillery directly before you go.
201 North Madison Ave., Beeville, Texas 78102
Johnny Pickles Distillery
Jen Forman and her partner Nate transformed an old Seguin, Texas fire station outside of San Antonio into a small-batch whiskey distillery back in 2020. From day one, the couple passionately sought craft whiskey – a process that takes a lot of time and patience which is why they haven’t opened their doors just yet. As owner and general manager, Jen oversees the creation of the Johnny Pickles Distillery’s upcoming releases and preparing the space to accept visitors – very soon.
Corn whiskey and single-malt whiskey are among the products currently in development behind the scenes at Johnny Pickles. The team also plans to produce other infused liquors and cocktail bitters that will perfectly complement the spirits and cocktails they hope to mix up for guests.
A grand opening date for the distillery is forthcoming while the distillers wait on their carefully crafted whiskeys to age in barrels. When the doors open, Johnny Pickles will offer both a tasting room and a cocktail lounge, spanning both indoor and outdoor venues. Keep an eye out for the official launch.
Seguin, Texas
Maverick Whiskey
A doctor by day, Amy Maverick founded Maverick Whiskey with her husband Ken – also a doctor. The two purchased a landmark building in San Antonio that once belonged to Samuel Maverick, a historic Texas figure and an ancestor of Ken’s, to host their distillery in 2017. After two years of renovation and building, Amy and Ken opened the distillery as well as a small craft brewery, a restaurant, an event space and a museum about the history of their home city and state.
From that distillery, Amy and Ken issue three bourbon whiskeys, a rye whiskey as well as two gins and an agave spirit. The whiskeys, including the Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, incorporate Texas-grown corn, rye and barley.
Get a sense of what Texas-grown whiskey tastes like when you drop by the tasting room Wednesday through Saturday, 2pm to 9pm.
115 Broadway, San Antonio, Texas 78205
Garrison Brothers
For the last eight years, Samantha Olvera has distilled whiskey and bourbon as the only woman on the Garrison Brothers production team. She discovered the distillery while running a bar in Texas Hill Country for almost a decade. Soon she was on a path that would lead her to become the first Latina to make bourbon from grain to glass.
The products Samantha crafts include a Small Batch Bourbon, a Single Barrel Bourbon and Cowboy Bourbon, an uncut and unfiltered straight bourbon that ages for a few years before being released annually. Other bourbons released by the distillery include options named for local destinations, like Laguna Madre and Balmorhea
Get to know all of Garrison Brothers products when you visit the tasting room Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am to 4pm then Thursday through Saturday from from 10am to 6pm.
1827 Hye-Albert Road, Hye, Texas 78635
BENDT Distilling Co.
Natasha DeHart cofounded BENDT Distilling Co. with her husband Ryan. Together they’re raising a family while also running the business as a team. Ryan distills the whiskey and Natasha blends the spirits, building on the flavors and aromas in each product.
The spirits crafted by Bendt range from vodka, brandy, gin and agave spirits to whiskey as well as blends. The distillery’s line of straight whiskey incorporates grain grown locally in north Texas. Each one is aged in bourbon barrels for at least four years to foster a flavor like no other.
Get a taste of the Bendt Distilling Co. whiskeys and spirits when you visit the tasting hall and whiskey garden, open Monday through Thursday, 2pm to 9pm and Friday to Saturday, from 12pm to 10pm.
225 S. Charles Street, Lewisville, Texas 75057
Ironroot Republic Distilling
After the Likarish brothers opened Ironroot Republic Distilling in 2014, they realized they needed a manager. Marcia Likarish, their mother, was the perfect person for the job. A former special ed teacher, Marcia came out of retirement to take the job. Today, she oversees the business and her sons as they create a variety of bourbons, whiskeys and corn whiskeys on-site in the distillery’s Denison, Texas location. Over time, she’s become known as the Mother of Texas Whiskey and she’s certainly worked hard to earn that title.
Ironroot’s lineup of whiskeys includes the brand’s flagship bourbon, Harbinger 115 Straight Texas Bourbon. First released when Ironroot originally launched, this bourbon smells of maple syrup, orange marmalade and red fruits while the flavor really dives into those red fruits and adds baking spices and dark sugars. The distillery also offers two more bourbons, Promethean and Harbinger XC, along with a brandy, three more whiskeys, a vodka, a gin and the Ironroot take on Moonshine.
Explore the full lineup of spirits from Ironroot when you visit the distillery’s tasting room. The space opens Tuesday through Friday, 10am to 5:30pm and Saturday, 11am to 3pm. Tours take place every Saturday at 12pm and 2pm.
3111 Loy Lake Road, Denison, Texas 75020
