We cover a decent amount of Texas whiskey here, and for good reason—there’s a whole lot of it that’s worth spilling ink over. But one distillery that consistently seems to put out some of the very best whiskey in the state is Still Austin, a small operation located in the capital city that makes bourbon and rye, along with some stellar bottled-in-bond whiskeys. Just last week, Still Austin announced the release of the new 2025 Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and it happens to be oldest whiskey that this distillery has ever released.
That high age statement honor previously went to Still Austin’s Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon, which was about six years old. But after a full seven years of maturation, the new Fall 2025 bourbon now takes the crown, which is significant for a few reasons. First of all, it’s always a nice occasion when a small distillery actually has whiskey to bottle at this age, let alone as a bottled-in-bond expression (quick reminder—that means the whiskey is at least four years old, exactly 100 proof, and the product of one distillery and one distillation season). Many smaller distilleries either age their whiskey in smaller barrels, which tend to give it a greener, woodier, immature flavor, or release the whiskey at a very young age with the same results—and sometimes they do both.
That is not the case with Still Austin, which is located in an industrial park in the city. There is a significant amount of rye in the mashbill—specifically 70 percent white corn, 25 percent rye, and five percent malted barley, the same recipe used for its flagship bourbon, The Musician. That provides a nice hit of spice to balance the bourbon’s inherent sweetness, and the palate is layered and complex with notes of maple, brown sugar, vanilla pudding, banana bread, ripe plum, tobacco, and tannic oak. Overall, this is another excellent bottled-in-bond bourbon that can stand with the best from the legacy distilleries.
Like other seasonal releases in Still Austin’s Bottled in Bond series, each bottle has a special label designed by artist Marc Burckhardt, the same person who designed the labels for the core portfolio. In the case of the Fall 2025 release, it’s a picture of a golden stallion with some fall-themed imagery behind it. Still Austin’s 2025 Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon is available now in the distillery’s tasting room (SRP $80), and you can find other expressions from the core portfolio, which are also very good, available at websites like ReserveBar.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker