Still Austin’s Cask Strength Bourbon Back as Permanent Offering

Earlier this year, Still Austin Whiskey Co. launched a limited-release Cask Strength Bourbon which sold out in a matter of weeks. Due to popular demand, the homegrown grain-to-glass distillery today announced that the expression will become a permanent fixture in its portfolio. It’s now available for purchase online, in on- and off-premise establishments throughout Texas, and at the Still Austin Tasting Room.

“We were blown away by the volume of demand for Cask Strength and how quickly it sold out,” said Brandon Joldersma, Chief Operating Officer, Still Austin Whiskey Co. “We planned for another limited-release this Fall, but quickly changed course when we saw how well whiskey lovers responded to this expression. So, we decided to give the people what they want and make Cask Strength a permanent part of our portfolio.”

Made from 100% Texas grains, the expression contains the same mash bill as the company’s flagship straight bourbon whiskey – 70% Non-GMO white corn, 25% Elbon rye and 5% wildfire malted barley. To create this robust bourbon, the team asked Master Blender Nancy Fraley to search through their barrels of Straight Bourbon and select the most complex and full-flavored ones—those that were begging to be blended and released at “barrel proof,” meaning the whiskey was bottled at the same proof at which it was aged. The resulting spirit is a masterpiece of complex, dark flavors with a deep spice finish. The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $60.

At 118 proof (59% ABV), the Cask Strength Bourbon is a “deeper, darker, more robust version of its beloved 98.4 proof fruit-forward sibling (aka The Musician), offering a nose of brandied cherries with fresh muddled mint, old fashioned blackberry cobbler with biscuit crust, and cinnamon toast in brown butter,” according to Fraley. “The palate offers notes of grilled peaches drizzled with balsamic vinegar, butterscotch pecan pie, and dark brown sugar, followed by warming waves of rye spice, nutmeg, and clove.”

The artwork on the label, created by internationally acclaimed artist and native Texan Marc Burckhardt, is a slightly modified version of the Straight Bourbon artwork, a series which portrays “archetypical” Austinites. Each provides a sense of the people who have influenced and inspired the team, while paying homage to the Texas terroir. While the Cask Strength bottle also features The Musician, the black starry night sky is meant to reflect the mysterious nature of the stronger, “darker” whiskey inside the bottle.

Grain-to-Glass Philosophy

Still Austin is an independent craft whiskey distillery founded in 2015, focusing on a true grain-to-glass concept that produces the highest quality whiskey by perfecting every part of the process and using local resources and sustainable practices. The team is committed to carrying out each part of the process in-house. That means never sourcing whiskey from another distillery, and instead always hand-making everything from scratch, and managing everything in-house – milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, barreling and bottling.

The Still Austin distilling team is led by Head Distiller John Schrepel, Master Blender Nancy Fraley and veteran Master Distiller Mike Delevante, one of the most experienced and respected distillers in North America who designed the distillery to make the highest quality whiskey. That includes a 42-foot custom-made column, “Nancy,” (and her sister copper-pot still, “The Queen”) which give the distillers serious creative license to create unique new flavors and spirits. For more information, visit www.stillaustin.com.