Best Bourbon & Whiskey in Austin: Staff Picks

Between the two stores, our team pours over (and pours from) a lot of whiskey. These are the bottles we recommend most, organized by budget, plus a whole section on the Texas whiskeys we're proudest to stock. Availability rotates — if something's not on the shelf, ask and we can usually special order it.

Everyday Pours (Under $30)

Great whiskey doesn't have to be a splurge. These over-deliver for the price:

• Buffalo Trace — the workhorse Kentucky bourbon: caramel, vanilla, and a soft finish. Perfect neat or in an Old Fashioned.
• Wild Turkey 101 — bold, spicy, and 101 proof. The bartender's choice for cocktails that punch through.
• Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond — a white-label sleeper that drinks well above its price tag.
• Old Grand-Dad 114 — high-proof, high-rye, high value. A staff favorite for Manhattans.

Step-Up Bottles ($30–$60)

The sweet spot of the whiskey wall — gifts, weekend sippers, and impress-your-father-in-law territory:

• Four Roses Single Barrel — fruity, spicy, and consistently excellent.
• Woodford Reserve Double Oaked — dessert in a glass; double-barreled for extra toffee and dark fruit.
• Russell's Reserve 10 Year — a decade of age at a price that still feels friendly.
• Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-in-Bond — if you're rye-curious, start here.

Special Occasion (Over $60)

• Blanton's Single Barrel — the famous horse-topper. When we get an allocation, it goes fast; ask us to keep an eye out for you.
• Angel's Envy Port Finish — bourbon finished in port casks; plush, sweet, and dangerously drinkable.
• WhistlePig 10 Year Rye — a benchmark rye with big baking-spice character.

Texas Whiskey Worth Seeking Out

This is the section we care about most. Texas whiskey has grown up fast, and the Hill Country heat ages barrels on overdrive — big, bold flavor in fewer years:

• Garrison Brothers (Hye, TX) — the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas. Their Small Batch is thick, sweet, and unmistakably Texan; Balmorhea is the splurge.
• Still Austin "The Musician" (Austin, TX) — grain-to-glass bourbon made right here in town from 100% Texas grain. Bright, youthful, and a fantastic local gift.
• Balcones (Waco, TX) — the wild child of Texas whiskey. Baby Blue (blue corn) and Texas Single Malt are unlike anything else on the wall.
• TX Whiskey (Fort Worth, TX) — smooth, approachable blended whiskey with a famous boot-leather-capped bottle.

Want to go deeper on local pours? Our Texas Spirits Guide covers vodka, gin, and agave from around the state.

How to Choose

A quick cheat sheet from behind the counter:

• Sipping neat? Look for age statements, bottled-in-bond, or single barrel picks.
• Mixing cocktails? Higher proof (90+) holds up to ice and citrus. See our classic cocktail recipes to put it to work.
• Gifting? Texas bottles win every time — local story, beautiful packaging.

Still not sure? Come talk to us at either store — recommending the right bottle is genuinely our favorite part of the job.