Do I Have a Bias Against Texas Whiskeys?

Image attributed to 123RF

I take my reputation seriously and have always done my best to be an unbiased reviewer. My credibility as a reviewer is all I possess.

 

So when a Texas distillery stated that I have a “bend against Texas Whiskeys and Bourbon,” I decided to look at my review history, which is conveniently easy to check.

 

Have I stated that Texas whiskeys are polarizing? Absolutely, and I stand by that statement. But the claim that I’m biased against them is unfounded. These are the Texas whiskeys that did well in the last 12 months alone:

 

Still Austin Cask Strength Rye took my Bottle rating earlier this month. Still Austin “The Artist” took my Bottle rating last January.

 

In December, UNBendt Bottled in Bond Rye took my 2023 Best American Rye Award. UNBendt Bottled in Bond Bourbon took a Bottle rating.

 

Milam & Greene Unabridged Vol 2 took my Bottle rating last September.

 

Lone Elm Wheat Whiskey took my Bottle rating last April.

 

Devil’s River Distiller’s Select took my Bottle rating last January.

 

JW Kelly Old Milford, packaged in Tennessee but distilled in Texas, took my Bottle rating last January.

 

Now, were there genuinely awful Texas whiskeys reviewed during the same period? Yes, two to be exact:

 

Charles Goodnight 115 took a Bust last October.

Bertie’s Bear Gulch Cask Strength took a Bust last April.

 

And one – only one – took a Bar rating:

 

Balcones Pot Still earned it in July.

 

Out of eleven Texas whiskeys reviewed in the last year, eight of them took my highest rating. Statistically, I’m not convinced I have a “bend” against Texas whiskeys. I believe I’ve been quite open-minded.

 

I sent this list to that Texas distillery that suggested my bias. The response? “The majority of those are simply MGP.” MGP is located in Indiana, so let’s take a look at each of these whiskeys that took my Bottle rating:

 

• Still Austin is distilled in Austin, Texas.
• UNBendt is distilled in Lewisville, Texas.
• Milam & Greene Unabridged Vol. 2 is a blend of whiskeys distilled in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas.
• Lone Elm Wheat Whiskey is distilled in Forney, Texas.
• Devil’s River Distiller’s Select is grain-to-glass Texas Bourbon.
• And, as I stated earlier, JW Kelly Old Milford is distilled in Texas and packaged in Tennessee.

 

Now, there are serious legal issues involved with falsifying labels. Either all of these distilleries are lying on the labels when they publish that their whiskeys are distilled in Texas, or these folks at this single Texas distillery are wrong.

 

I won’t disclose the name of the Texas distillery. I also have no choice but to wonder what they fear. Perhaps it is a lack of confidence in their own product?

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.