Some distilleries sprint out of the gate. Still Austin Whiskey took the long road. The grain-to-glass Texas brand spent roughly fifteen years between the first family conversation and the bottles now showing up on shelves and behind bars.
The story is part whiskey business case study, part family reconciliation. A retired father, an economist son, a 2013 Texas law change, and a team of well-known consultants all had to line up before the first drop was bottled. Here is how it happened and what it signals for drinkers who care about where their pour comes from.
The road from retirement plan to rickhouse
In 2012, Cleveland Seals began looking for a retirement project. American whiskey was still in the early stages of explosive growth—TTB figures show production jumping from roughly 190 million proof gallons that year to well over 350 million by 2024. Cleveland pulled in his son Chris, an economist and risk manager by training, to run the business side.
The legal catch in Texas had blocked small in-state distillers from selling bottles directly to customers or running tasting rooms. That changed with a 2013 law allowing direct sales and on-premise tastings, which made the grain-to-glass pitch viable. Ground broke on the St. Elmo neighborhood facility in 2014 with partners Andrew and Lisa Braunberg and Sal and Joanna Salinas.
Head distiller John Schrepel, formerly of New York's Black Dirt Distillery, took over the stills and developed the house mashbills. Nancy Fraley advised on aging and blending. By 2017, the first Texas-made distillate was in barrel, aging through the erratic temperature swings of Hill Country summers.
What's actually in the bottle
Still Austin leans hard on local inputs. The grain is 100 percent Texas-grown, with the white corn in the bourbon the same chef-grade product used by Austin tortilla makers. Tasting notes flag a tropical piña colada lift on the nose with a palate of toffee and brown butter for the bourbon. The rye swaps the usual high-rye grain bill for 100 percent Brasetto rye, leaning toward chocolate-covered cherry, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon.
The packaging does real work too. Each label is a full-color Marc Burckhardt painting built around Austin creatives, musicians, and naturalists. It signals that the pitch is about people and place, not just proof.
Why a 15-year build is the strategy—and the gamble
A decade-plus runway is the norm for anyone who refuses to source bulk whiskey and slap a label on it. If you age your own distillate, your first commercial release is at least three to four years away, and your second or third release is what actually pays the bills. Still Austin spent that runway doing three things at once: locking in a legal path to market, building a house liquid, and turning the brand story into a feature rather than a footnote.
That timeline explains the bottle positioning. Two flagships—a bourbon and a rye, both built around unusual local grain choices—give bartenders something to talk about beyond "another craft pour." For a bar program trying to stand out, that is more useful than another standard 95/5 rye.
The trade-off is distribution. Texas grain-to-glass brands live or die on whether they can get cases into the bars and restaurants that matter outside Austin. If Still Austin starts turning up on cocktail menus in Dallas and Houston, the long build starts paying back. If it stays Austin-only, the bottles risk becoming a regional favorite rather than a national one.
Who should care
| Buyer type | Why Still Austin fits |
|---|---|
| Bartenders building a Texas-focused spirits program | Local grain story with a clear, repeatable flavor profile |
| Restaurant buyers needing a premium neat pour that isn't a big macro brand | Grain-to-glass provenance without sticker shock |
| Enthusiasts chasing limited single barrels | Nancy Fraley's picks and yearly one-offs create tradeable rarities |
| Whiskey-curious consumers who care about brand values | Authenticity messaging around community and identity |
What to watch next
The next test is distribution. Can Still Austin move from Austin-only to a presence in major Texas bar markets? That determines whether fifteen years of careful build translates to sustainable growth or remains a beloved local story.
Bottom line: fifteen years is slow, but it is the honest speed when you insist on your own grain, your own still, and your own aging program. The liquid now has to carry the story.
Key takeaways
- Still Austin is a genuine grain-to-glass Texas whiskey, with its own mashbills and aging program since 2017.
- The white corn bourbon and Brasetto rye give bartenders an easy Texas story for cocktails and neat servings.
- Watch whether distribution reaches major Texas bar markets outside Austin, which is the real test of the long build.
Frequently asked questions
When did Still Austin start distilling?
Head distiller John Schrepel produced the first distillate in 2017, after the St. Elmo facility broke ground in 2014.
Is Still Austin's whiskey made entirely from Texas grain?
Yes. The bourbon and rye are made from 100 percent Texas grains grown by Texas farmers.
Who designed the bottle labels?
The full-color labels are paintings by Texas artist Marc Burckhardt, themed around Austin's creative community.
Why did a 2013 Texas law matter for the distillery?
The law allowed in-state distillers to sell spirits directly to consumers and host on-site tastings, which made the grain-to-glass business model workable.
