Distillery: Still Austin - Austin, TX
Proof: 98.4
Age: NAS (at least 2 yrs)
Mashbill: 70% corn, 25% rye, 5% malted barley.
BACKGROUND: Still Austin Whiskey Company is the first craft whiskey distillery based out of Austin, TX. Whiskey legend and master blender Nancy Fraley approves every release from the distillery ensuring quality on every product. They are an eco-friendly, sustainable, 100% Texas whiskey distillery who do slow-water reduction during their aging process to produce a unique, authentic whiskey. When they launched the distillery they were not sure what their mashbill would be but tried multiple. As the whiskeys aged, they eventually found their mashbill. What they found as their mashbill is now what makes up each of these bottles. The grains are 70% Non-GMO white corn(the same found in Austin’s tortillas), 25% Elbon rye (which imparts a natural spice) and 5% wildfire malted barley. The whiskey is named The Musician in honor of Austin being the Live Music Capital of the World with a thriving local musician scene.
NOSE: The Musician has a very floral and fruit nose that reminds me of the first warm day in Spring. The fruit notes are bright and sweet and are supported by notes of caramel and graham crackers. There is no burn at all coming off of this whiskey and the nose is very balanced, sprite, and enjoyable. The notes are not overly deep but they all are distinct. (21/25)
PALATE: Where the nose was on the lighter side the palate makes up for. As soon as the whiskey touched my tongue it coated my entire mouth and then had chewy and rich flavors of roasted pecans, toasted marshmellow, graham cracker, and more of the citral notes found on the nose. There is some smooth baking spice on the backend of the palate but it's youthfullness makes itself known showing up in the form of young oak. (33/40)
FINISH: The finish was medium in length with warm baking spice, young oak, and some sweet vanilla. There is a slight burn on the way down but it doesn't hinder the flavor notes. (21/25)
VALUE: Still Austin's The Musician has a $40 SRP which is a great price for this flavorful whiskey. Especially when you factor in the cost to be 100% sustainable and use local, high quality grain. (8/10)
Overall: 83/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Still Austin Whiskey Co. has hit a home run on their new flagship product. This whiskey is smooth, flavorful, unique, and has a lot of character. We cannot wait to see what this distillery brings to market in the coming years. If this whiskey sat in a barrel for a few years longer it would be absolutely spectacular. We highly recommend getting yourself a bottle if you see it on the shelf. We also recommend going and checking them out in person. The distillery and the people are awesome!
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Michter's US*1 Bourbon
Similar & Equal Whiskey: New Riff Small Batch
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Buffalo Trace
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
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