TX Whiskey
By the time the summer sun stretches across the hilltop at Whiskey Ranch on June 14, a new spirit will be ready to pour — and it’s one that could only come from Texas.
Just in time for National Bourbon Day, TX Whiskey — the Fort Worth distillery known for its award-winning TX Blended Whiskey and TX Straight Bourbon — will release the thirteenth installment in its Experimental Series. This one bears a name as long as a West Texas two-lane: “TX Straight Rye Bourbon Finished In Texas Seasoned Barrels.” But behind the mouthful lies a big idea, aged in the bones of the state itself.
Here’s the twist: Instead of shipping in barrel staves from out of state, TX Whiskey took the long way around. They seasoned the wood right here in Fort Worth — stacking staves outside the barrel barns for a full year under the relentless Texas sky. The idea wasn’t just to age whiskey in Texas, but to let Texas age the wood that would later shape the spirit.
“The inspiration behind creating a spirit from Texas Seasoned Barrels came from our desire to deepen the connection between our whiskey and the place it’s made,” said Craig Blair, head blender at TX Whiskey. “The dry climate in Texas accelerates the seasoning process while simultaneously creating different flavor outcomes. This release is our way of capturing a uniquely Texan expression of bourbon — not just aged here but born from the climate and the spirit of Fort Worth.”
TX’s Experimental Series has long served as a proving ground for offbeat ideas, but this latest expression leans into something deeper than novelty. It’s terroir with teeth. Think of it as oak infused with Lone Star grit — weathered by a year of wind, heat, and humidity swings so dramatic they’d buckle lesser barrels. Add to that a proprietary charring method, and you have something new even in a state that prides itself on reinvention.
The result? A whiskey with a nose of spiced pear and sweet oak, a palate layered with toasted vanilla, tobacco, and black cherry, and a finish that lingers with the slow burn of baked apple and smoke. It’s a spirit built not just for sipping, but for storytelling.
“National Bourbon Day is a celebration of the heritage, craftsmanship, and innovation behind America’s native spirit, presenting the perfect moment to release our Texas Seasoned Barrel Bourbon,” Blair continued. “This project is a bold step in redefining what bourbon can be, not just by aging the spirit in Texas, but letting Texas shape the very barrels in which it’s aged.”
To mark the occasion, TX Whiskey is throwing open the gates to Whiskey Ranch on June 14. The celebration begins with a VIP hour at noon — for $75, you'll receive a welcome cocktail, an exclusive gift, a bottle tasting and signing, a tour, and early access to purchase the new bottle. General admission opens at 1 p.m. for $10 and includes one cocktail, live music, food trucks, and complimentary bottle engraving (with purchase). Samples of the new rye bourbon will be poured throughout the afternoon.
But don’t drag your boots. Only 1,700 bottles of the “TX Straight Rye Bourbon Finished In Texas Seasoned Barrels” will be available, in a 375ml format—limited to eight bottles per customer every 30 days.
Like the summer heat or a good Texas song, this one won’t last long.
Tickets and more info at txwhiskey.com.
