The Robb Report announced the latest Bottled-In-Bond release from Texas indie distilling darling, Still Austin. Spirits Writer and Critic Jonah Flicker had no shortage of praise for Still Austin’s Bottled-In-Bond Rye, and claimed that this under-the-radar distillery demands one’s attention. We share similar sentiments.
Still Austin’s 2025 Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whiskey has, per Bottled-in-Bond regulations, a 50% ABV. Its mashbill is composed exclusively of Texas rye.
“For this spring release, represented by the rabbit, we used the bright spice of 100% Texas-grown rye to conjure feelings of new beginnings, bold ideas and fresh perspectives,” the description of the bourbon read on the brand’s site. “This is the taste of spring, in all its glory.”
Still Austin claims its newest Bottled-In-Bond release has a nose full of honey, cherry pie and tart pastry. The palate is bright and lifted, with rhubarb pie and a spine of black tea. The finish lingers, with almond butter, pink peppercorn and figs.
This upstart Texas whiskey brand releases four Bottled-In-Bond expressions a year: a red corn bourbon, a straight bourbon, a blue corn bourbon and a rye whiskey. Still Austin typically releases the red corn bourbon expression in the summer, the bourbon in the fall and the blue corn bourbon in the winter. The rye whiskey is typically reserved for spring.
More About Still Austin: A Grain-to-Glass Texas Whiskey Brand
Still Austin’s origins date back to 2012, when a man named Cleveland Seals wanted a retirement project. He reached out to his son, Chris, and shared that he wanted to build a whiskey distillery.
Chris was an economist and risk manager, so when Cleveland approached him, Chris knew the odds of them actually achieving success would be fairly low. Yet Chris wanted to spend some quality time with his father, and brought up the idea of doing a “feasibility study” to see whether or not the distillery would be succesful.
In reality, Chris just wanted to have some fun with his dad — aww — so he spent an entire year with his father traveling and tasting at whiskey distilleries.
“It was the best thing that ever happened to me and my dad,” Chris said according to the brand.
Eventually, the duo assembled a team to start building the distillery in 2014, and they began making whiskey in 2017. Still Austin’s secret weapon is arguably the brilliantly gifted Nancy Fraley. Nancy Fraley is Still Austin’s Master Blender, and she might just be one of the world’s most awarded spirits blenders. She is credited as the inventor of The Craft Whiskey Aroma Wheel, and many have given her the nickname “The Nose,” because of her exceptional gift for picking out aromas.
The brand’s goal is to “make whiskey for everyone: the visionaries, the lovers, the scientists, the oddballs, the artists and the everyday dreamers.”
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