FIRES FLOODS EXPLOSIONS AND BLOODSHED

There have been dozens of books written about the history of American whiskey and its place in our culture, yet there are still many stories about whiskey that haven’t been told. The history of Texas whiskey is one of those stories. It’s a fascinating and important topic that, for some reason, has never been documented, until now. 

As it happened, the Republic of Texas was founded during the zenith of drunkenness in North America. It’s no surprise that early Texans took to distilling as soon as they arrived, nor that whiskey soon became the spirit of choice.

The relationship between Texans and whiskey is a long and complicated one. Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas, wished for prohibition in his colony but took the pragmatic view that if Texans were going to drink, then it would be better if that booze was made in Texas.

The Lone Star State quickly had dozens of distilleries operating, several of which had grand aspirations that would rival those of any modern craft distillery. Many early Texas distillers hailed from other Southern states and brought with them a rich distilling tradition that was further honed on the frontier. Some were European immigrants who brought extensive knowledge of distilling and fermentation. But these early entrepreneurs had to deal with all manner of obstacles, including floods, fires, explosions, and occasional gun play. As the success of modern Texas distilleries demonstrates, there is a strong market for Texas-made whiskey. Today, whiskey culture encompasses not only distillers, but also farmers, mixologists, consumers, and, increasingly, chroniclers of the spirit’s proud history and resurgence.

Filled with fascinating stories of the pioneering spirit of Texas whiskey distillers, archival photos and newspaper clippings, figures of homemade and commercial whiskey stills, and even lists of Texas distilleries, Fires, Floods, Explosions and Bloodshed should be a staple in every whiskey lover’s bookshelf or bar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Before catching the distilling bug, Andrew Braunberg was an industry analyst for several decades covering cybersecurity technologies. After moving to Texas in 2012, Andrew and his wife co-founded the first whiskey distillery in Austin, called Still Austin Whiskey Co. Andrew has spent the last couple years documenting the pre-prohibition history of making whiskey in Texas. He lives (mostly) in Austin with his wife and two dogs.