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The 2025 Texas Whiskey Festival<\/a> is now behind us, and after a week of decompressing I\u2019ve finally found time to sift through my photos and notes and bring you some thoughts about my favorite pours from the event. As always, it\u2019s the stuff I missed that I regret the most: Check out TWF\u2019s list of winning whiskeys<\/a> from the on-site judging (as well as the people\u2019s choice award).<\/p>\n I\u2019m consider it a starting list for next year\u2019s show. Thanks to TWF for the invitation and tickets. Hope to see you again in 2026!<\/p>\n A special edition of Ironroot<\/a>\u2018s Harbinger 115 release, layered with notes of honey and cherries, then chocolate on the finish. Shockingly, no finishing cask was involved in producing this delight\u2026 which sold out in 20 minutes upon release. This was possibly may favorite sip of the day. $NA<\/p>\n Nancy is of course the much sought-after blender Nancy Fraley, and Still Austin<\/a>\u2018s exclusive membership club is named after her. This one-off release is a knockout, a single barrel selection of rye and corn whiskey that stands as some of the most elegant stuff Still Austin has produced to date \u2014 despite a blazing 123.29 proof level. $NA<\/p>\n Balcones finishes its iconic single malt<\/a> in all manner of casks and bottles them as one-off single barrel releases \u2014 few of which I\u2019ve ever encountered in the wild<\/a>. The distillery had two of them on hand at the event, a sharper Madeira cask barrel and this winning oloroso barrel \u2014 bottled at a wild 135 proof. ~$90<\/p>\n Not the first time I\u2019ve had peat-influenced Texas whiskey, but it\u2019s a rarity all the same. This 3 year old single malt has a light hand with the peat but it\u2019s enough to make an impact on a surprisingly soft single malt base spirit. At 88 proof it\u2019s an easy sipper that would pair perfectly with a slab of BBQ brisket. $NA<\/p>\n This was my first taste of the day and it appropriately whetted the palate for what was in store for me in the hours to come: Sweet and sultry honey-finished Texas bourbon that still clings to the burly Texasness at its core. Hard not to love. $75<\/p>\n This is a 106 proof version of DynaBarr\u2019s Smiling Oak, aged for three\u00a0weeks<\/em> on reclaimed oak segments instead of living in a traditional barrel. The results are really intriguing \u2014 and not at all what you\u2019d expect from such an accelerated aging technique. I hope to delve into DynaBarr in more detail soon. &NA<\/p>\n The most recent blend from Milam & Greene \u2014 mixing up Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas distillate into a cohesive whole. Soft and creamy with notes of toasty herbs and lively coconut \u2014 and drinking well under the heat of the Texas sun. $95<\/p>\n This one\u2019s an oddity: 7 year old Canadian rye whiskey, rebarreled and aged 5 more years in used casks in Giant\u2019s Houston, Texas distillery. Sweet but not oppressive, showcasing lots more fruit than you get with the typical rye. $54<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p><\/div>\n