How Still Austin Whiskey Co. Built One of America's Fastest-Moving Whiskey Brands the Hard Way
There is a particular kind of ambition that takes a full decade to look like overnight success. In the American whiskey world — an industry that rewards patience with barrels and punishes shortcuts with mediocrity — that timeline is not unusual. What is unusual is doing everything yourself, sourcing every grain from your home state, building a distillery from concrete up, and then watching the national market finally come around to exactly what you were always making. That is the Still Austin Whiskey Co. story, and in 2026, VinePair recognized it by naming the Austin, Texas-based distillery its Rising Drinks Brand of the Year in the annual Next Wave Awards.
The award is less a discovery than a confirmation. The numbers had already started telling the story earlier in the year. According to Nielsen data, Still Austin now ranks as the ninth highest-velocity premium American whiskey brand in the country, measured by average revenue per retail store. More striking than the rank is the context behind it: the brand is outperforming Kentucky-based heritage brands in average revenue per retail store, despite having a fraction of their national footprint — and this performance comes while Still Austin remains available in only about 5% of U.S. Nielsen-tracked retail stores. The room for growth those figures imply is enormous.
The Origin: A Father, a Son, and a Changing Texas Law
The founding of Still Austin is equal parts family story and civic ambition. An economist by training, CEO Chris Seals was inspired in 2013 when his father, Cleveland, approached him with the idea of opening a distillery. What began as a way to strengthen their relationship grew into a mission: to produce world-class bourbon and rye whiskeys using 100% Texas-grown grains. It was a personal project that quickly grew into something more complex — and more consequential — than either man likely anticipated.
The timing, as it turned out, was fortuitous. It was still quite difficult to start a distillery in Texas, until a 2013 law would allow for in-state distillers to sell their spirits directly to consumers as well as offer on-premise tastings. That legislative shift cracked open a door that had been sealed since Prohibition, and the Seals family walked through it. The changes made it easier to open a craft bourbon distillery in Texas and also made it likely that a Texas Whiskey category would emerge. Having devoted a year to studying the market, the two realized they just might be at the right place at the right time.
The founders they assembled reflected the community they wanted to serve. The company was founded in 2013 by three Austin families: Andrew and Lisa Braunberg, Sal and Joanna Salinas, and Chris Seals with his father, Cleveland Seals. It officially opened in 2017. The company is a grain-to-glass distillery located in South Austin — the city's first distillery since Prohibition. Between concept and first pour stretched four years of groundwork: building construction, regulatory navigation, grain sourcing relationships, and equipment installation.
As Lisa Braunberg, co-founder and head of marketing, recalled: "We all had the same desire to get involved with establishing a distillery. Why don't we try to band together and see what we could come up with? We each had uniquely complementary skill sets in different areas, and it seemed too good to pass up." That complementary dynamic — tech backgrounds, economic training, marketing experience — gave the operation a professional architecture that craft distilleries often lack.
Building the Machine: The Distillery, the Still, and the Grain
By 2014, the Seals, along with their partners Andrew and Lisa Braunberg and Sal and Joanna Salinas, had broken ground on a facility in the St. Elmo neighborhood of Austin. The location was deliberate. St. Elmo, on the south side of the city, was already emerging as a creative and industrial corridor — a place where breweries, restaurants, and makers of every description were staking claims. Planting a whiskey distillery there was as much a cultural statement as a real estate decision.
The hardware at the heart of the operation is itself a statement of intent. The distillery sources 100% of its ingredients from Texas farmers and handles all production processes in-house, ensuring that each bottle reflects Texas's unique terroir. Its facility features a custom 42-foot column still, affectionately named "Nancy," built by Scottish still-makers Forsyths Ltd. Forsyths, based in Rothes, Scotland, is among the most respected still fabricators in the world — their work found in single malt distilleries across the Scottish Highlands. Bringing one of their instruments to South Austin was an unambiguous signal about the quality of liquid Still Austin intended to produce.
As Seals explained: "We felt the region needed someone to take leadership and make something from this region." When they reached out to the closest grain elevator, they found it was 300 miles away. "We realized that the best approach was to develop relationships with farmers and to focus on grains that are indigenous to Central Texas." That challenge — sourcing locally in a state whose agricultural infrastructure wasn't oriented toward craft distilling — became a defining characteristic of the brand rather than an obstacle to it.
The Distiller Who Came From New York
Every great distillery needs a craftsman who can translate raw materials and vision into something worth drinking. For Still Austin, that person arrived from a surprising direction. By 2017, head distiller John Schrepel, who had formerly run operations at New York's Black Dirt Distillery, had distilled their first liquid using his own unique mashbills. The transition from New York's Hudson Valley to the Texas Hill Country required more than a change of address.
After five years of running the largest distillery in New York State, Schrepel joined Still Austin as Head Distiller, where he set his sights on redefining what a whiskey produced in the South can be. Moving from New York to Texas was no small adjustment. The climate alone forced him to rethink everything, especially barrel aging. But once he understood how to work with the Texas heat and humidity, he started to see what made the region so special for whiskey. The whiskey matures faster, but it also develops rich, bold flavors you just don't get in cooler climates.
That accelerated maturation is not a liability — it is a tool, if you know how to use it. After the whiskey is barreled, Still Austin activates its so-called secret weapon: the wild Texas weather. Through years of trial and error, Master Distiller John Schrepel has learned to fully leverage these weather swings and age the whiskey to perfection. The distillery has recorded temperature swings of 56 degrees within a single 24-hour period — a natural cycling that pushes whiskey in and out of the wood at a pace that Kentucky warehouses simply do not experience.
Schrepel's ambitions for the liquid extend well beyond what the Texas climate typically demands of its whiskeys. He has stated: "I want to set a new standard for what older whiskey in Texas can be. I believe we can age whiskeys to 10 or even 15 years without producing over-oaked or overly tannic products, and I have several ideas that are showing promising results." For an industry where Texas whiskey has often been defined by its youth and heat, that long-game approach is a significant departure from the regional norm.
The Portfolio: From Flagship Bourbon to Bottled-in-Bond
The core of Still Austin's range is built around two expressions that have become calling cards for the brand. In 2020, Still Austin introduced "The Musician," their flagship straight bourbon whiskey. It quickly gained acclaim and became one of the top-selling whiskeys in Texas. This success was complemented by the release of "The Artist," a 100% Texas-grown rye whiskey, further showcasing their dedication to crafting spirits that embody Austin's spirit and creativity.
The Musician is the flagship straight bourbon — Texas white corn, rye, and malted barley, all Texas-grown — wearing Austin artist Marc Burckhardt's portrait label. It introduced the house style: bold Texas-climate maturation balanced by slow water reduction, which softens the proof gradually over weeks rather than in a single cut. That distinction in proofing technique is the kind of detail that separates a distillery with conviction from one that's following the playbook.
The awards followed. The Musician earned Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and The Artist took Double Gold at the same competition in 2023. The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is one of the most respected judging panels in the American market — double gold from that body is not a participation ribbon.
Beyond the core range, Still Austin has pushed into territory that few Texas distilleries can claim. Still Austin unveiled a seasonal bottled-in-bond series, a significant milestone since many American distilleries don't qualify to release a bottled-in-bond spirit. Still Austin is among only a handful of Texas-based distilleries approved to participate. Bottled-in-bond is one of the oldest quality designations in American whiskey law — requiring that the spirit be the product of one distiller, at one distillery, in one distilling season, aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. Meeting those standards requires operational discipline that goes far beyond merely making good whiskey.
The brand's most premium release to date pushes the portfolio into collector territory. The Tanager Cigar Blend Bourbon Whiskey is a 107.5-proof bourbon made from a blend of blue, red, and white corn, matured for a minimum of six years in charred American oak barrels, and hand-picked by Master Blender Nancy Fraley and Master Distiller John Schrepel. The pairing of Fraley — widely known in whiskey circles as "The Nose" — with Schrepel's production expertise represents exactly the kind of institutional talent that tends to produce exceptional results.
Art, Identity, and the Austin Mythology
Still Austin has always understood something that many craft distilleries miss entirely: the bottle is not just a container, it is a communication. The bottles carry stunning, full-color labels painted by Texas artist Marc Burckhardt. Each label is meant to capture and honor the unique people that live among them in the so-called "Live Music Capital of the World," whether artists, musicians, or naturalists.
Burckhardt, a celebrated Austin illustrator whose work has appeared in publications and galleries internationally, brings a level of artistic seriousness to Still Austin's packaging that elevates the brand above craft novelty. Embracing Austin's vibrant cultural scene, Still Austin integrates local artistry into its brand, with each whiskey label featuring original artwork by renowned Austin artist Marc Burckhardt, reflecting the city's creative spirit. The result is a shelf presence that stops you before the whiskey's reputation even enters the equation.
That cultural integration runs deeper than label design. Still Austin focuses more on the people — their employees, their co-workers, their fellow artists, their customers — than on the liquid alone. It's a brand philosophy borrowed not from bourbon country but from Austin's own ethos: that the creative class, the musicians, the makers, and the naturalists all belong in the same conversation. As Seals put it: "Ultimately, we really focused on the art of Texas whiskey. It's an art form we've had to really define. We borrowed from a lot of traditions — from Cognac to Armagnac to Kentucky — but refining it, elevating it to the highest level possible, and bringing out the very best of what we can do here in Texas."
The Texas Whiskey Category and What Still Austin Means to It
Still Austin did not emerge in a vacuum. It is part of a broader movement that has turned Texas into one of the most dynamic whiskey-producing regions in the United States. The Texas Whiskey Association is a member-established group that sprang forth as a way for local distillers to promote the category, educate consumers, and encourage truth and transparency in labeling. Part of that mission includes a certification seal. To earn Certified Texas Whiskey status, a whiskey must be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled within the state.
That certification standard matters more than it might appear. Not every spirit claiming to be "Texas whiskey" really is. The Certified Texas Whiskey program was created by the Texas Whiskey Association to give whiskey drinkers clarity and trust — ensuring that when you pick up a bottle with the seal, you're not just getting a label, but a whiskey that's truly made in Texas. Still Austin, which sources and produces everything within the state, is precisely the kind of operation the certification was designed to champion.
This is pure Texas whiskey in the most literal sense: made from 100 percent Texas grains grown by Texas farmers and turned into Texas distillate aged in the unique climate of the hot and often erratic Texas Hill Country. Andrew Braunberg, one of the co-founders, has gone further than anyone in documenting what that heritage means historically. Braunberg and his wife Lisa co-founded the first whiskey distillery in Austin, and Andrew spent years documenting the pre-Prohibition history of making whiskey in Texas. The resulting book traces the deep, largely forgotten roots of a tradition that Still Austin is now actively reviving.
The Growth Numbers: Momentum That Defies Category Headwinds
The American whiskey category broadly has faced headwinds in recent years — cooling consumer demand, bloated inventory at the macro level, and a retail environment rattled by years of over-expansion. Still Austin has moved in the opposite direction. The brand announced a breakout year of growth, cementing its position as one of the fastest-moving American whiskey brands in the United States and a rare bright spot in a slowing American whiskey category, with depletions increasing 45% and surpassing 100,000 cases.
At year-end 2025, the company held more than 20,200 barrels in storage, all produced in-house under its grain-to-glass philosophy. That barrel inventory is not just a production metric — it is a strategic asset. The more aged stock a distillery controls, the more flexibility it has to release older expressions, to blend with precision, and to protect quality during periods of surging demand.
To fuel the next phase of growth without compromising what got them here, Still Austin made a significant financial move in early 2026. In February 2026, Still Austin entered into a strategic financial partnership with FERO (Ferovinum Inc.), a global funding and supply chain technology platform built specifically for the drinks industry. Initially, the partnership unlocks $20 million in working capital that is expandable in line with Still Austin's growth to $30 million or more. The partnership lowers the cost of capital and accelerates barrel growth while allowing Still Austin to retain full control over aging, quality, and production throughout maturation.
The financial architecture is notable for what it preserves: operational independence. Rather than taking on a large strategic investor who might demand changes to the portfolio or the production philosophy, Still Austin structured the deal to leave its distilling decisions exactly where they have always been — in the hands of the people who built the place. As Seals explained: "We have enormous respect for the Kentucky distillers who built this category. To see our brand competing and, in many markets, outperforming fully distributed legacy producers, confirms that there's real appetite for distinctive, authentic American whiskey. Our focus now is scaling production thoughtfully, without compromising the quality, flavor, or creativity that got us here. Everything we're doing is about building a brand that can grow for centuries, not just years."
Distribution Reality and the Road Ahead
The paradox of Still Austin's current position is that its most impressive numbers exist at a fraction of its potential reach. Currently distributed primarily in Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, and Illinois — with selective availability in additional states — Still Austin grew in every market in 2025. On-premise accounts represented a strong 23% of volume in core territories, reinforcing the brand's resonance with bartenders and whiskey enthusiasts alike.
That on-premise performance matters enormously in terms of what it signals. When bartenders choose to stock a whiskey and use it by name in cocktails, they are functioning as the most credible endorsers in the market — they have no financial incentive to push a brand unless it genuinely performs in a glass and generates conversation. A nearly one-in-four ratio of on-premise volume suggests that Still Austin has exactly that kind of professional endorsement in its core markets.
The distillery cites Nielsen data claiming it is now the ninth highest-velocity premium American whiskey brand in the U.S. by average revenue per retail store, and is said to be outperforming Kentucky-based "heritage" brands in that same metric. That's an extraordinary claim for a brand available in such a small percentage of national retail doors. What happens to those velocity numbers when distribution expands is a calculation that industry observers are watching closely.
What the Next Wave Award Actually Means
VinePair's Next Wave Awards framework is designed to identify what is genuinely new and consequential in the drinks world — not what is biggest or most established. Naming Still Austin as Rising Drinks Brand of the Year is, in some ways, an acknowledgment that "rising" in the whiskey business requires a longer runway than in other categories. In the whiskey world, if you're doing everything yourself, not cutting any corners, and trying to be a true original, it can take more than a full decade to become "up-and-coming." CEO Chris Seals addressed this directly: "It takes time. But it's not just waiting around. This is probably the most dynamic time in our lives, 15 years in."
The award also implicitly validates a philosophy that runs counter to much of what has passed for craft distilling over the past fifteen years. During the first wave of the American craft spirits movement, many small producers sourced bulk distillate from large Midwest producers, slapped a local story on the label, and called themselves distillers. Still Austin did none of that. While many whiskey makers in Texas outsourced the production of their spirits and just aged, flavored, or bottled them, Still Austin committed to crafting a grain-to-glass product — making their spirits from scratch and sourcing 100% of their ingredients from Texas farmers. The patience that philosophy demanded is exactly the patience the market is now rewarding.
Since launching in 2013, Still Austin has spent more than a decade fine-tuning its effort. The distillery has been named Best Distillery in Austin by the Austin Chronicle multiple times, earning the recognition in both 2025 and 2026. National recognition, professional awards, and surging consumer demand have all arrived in a wave — but the wave was built one barrel at a time, across years of unglamorous, non-negotiable craft work.
The Broader Lesson for American Whiskey
Still Austin's trajectory offers a counternarrative to the consolidation story that has dominated American whiskey over the past decade. The mega-brands got bigger, the private equity money chased heritage labels, and somewhere in that shuffle, a group of Austin families quietly built something that could outlast all of it. With momentum building and demand continuing to outpace supply, Still Austin is laying the foundation to become one of the next great American whiskey brands.
The grain-to-glass commitment is central to that foundation. Still Austin mills, mashes, ferments, distills, barrels, and bottles all of its spirits in-house at the distillery. Through relationships with Texas farmers, Still Austin leverages the advantages of a diverse variety of local grains and the warm Central Texas climate to make whiskey. Every step in that chain is a place where quality can be controlled, and also a place where shortcuts could be taken. Still Austin has consistently refused the shortcuts.
For American whiskey drinkers who have grown up with the Kentucky canon and are only beginning to explore what the rest of the country can produce, Still Austin represents the clearest argument for Texas whiskey as a serious category. The climate is different, the grains are different, the cultural context is different — and the whiskey reflects all of it. Once Schrepel understood how to work with the Texas heat and humidity, he saw what made the region so special for whiskey: it matures faster, but it also develops rich, bold flavors you just don't get in cooler climates.
The VinePair Next Wave Award lands at what might be the perfect inflection point — a moment when Still Austin has enough age on its barrels to make genuinely complex whiskey, enough distribution to be more than a local secret, and enough momentum to carry a serious national expansion without losing the grain-to-glass identity that built the brand. The next few years will determine whether Still Austin grows into one of the great American whiskey houses or remains a well-kept regional prize. Based on the numbers, the barrels in storage, and the ambition of the team making the decisions, the former seems considerably more likely than the latter.
