Still Austin Whiskey Co. has released a full packaging rebrand for its signature American Gin, the first rye gin made in the Lone Star State. The 100% handmade gin is crafted from a custom base of 70% Brasetto rye and 30% non-GMO white corn provided by Texas farmers. The spirit is then milled and distilled in-house in small 100-gallon batches in a copper pot still. It’s here that the distilled base spirit absorbs the various gin botanicals, including organic juniper berries, coriander seeds, cinnamon, citrus peels, elderflowers and allspice berries, while passing through the distillery’s 42-foot-tall custom column still. The end result is a well-balanced gin bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV), which features an initial brightness, creamy mouthfeel, soft floral and citrus notes, an earthy character, rye spice and a warm finish. In the words of Master Blender Nancy Fraley, who’s famous for her peerless ability to detect flavor notes, the gin is “exceptionally balanced, beautifully blended, and a pleasure to drink.”
For the new custom gin label, Still Austin commissioned internationally acclaimed artist and native Texan Marc Burckhardt to paint a series of portraits of “idealized” Austinites. These are visual representations of archetypes, a way of conceiving a “new Austin mythology” by celebrating the innovative people who make the city what it is. Each label provides a sense of the people who have influenced and inspired the team, while paying homage to the Texas terroir. The first label in the series, released last July, featured “The Musician,” the figure gracing the distillery’s Straight Bourbon label, which pays homage to the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Now the American Gin, also known as “The Naturalist,” becomes the second in the series. The woman in the picture is content: surrounded by lush landscape, inspired by majestic beauty and satiated with the Earth’s raw treasures, including the spirit’s multitude of botanicals hidden among the verdant surroundings.
“For The Naturalist, we make a custom, in-house base distilled at a lower ABV than your traditional grain neutral spirit,” says John Schrepel, head distiller. “The result is an approachable gin with structure and nuance that highlights 12 botanicals, which complement the unique rye base and create a well-rounded, complex experience.”
Still Austin’s gin is now available for order online via the Still Austin website. In the coming weeks, gin lovers will begin to see the brand throughout Texas in both 375ml and 750ml bottles at fine liquor stores for a suggested retail price of $16 and $32, respectively.