Austin 101 Light Whiskey
“The brands and specific whiskeys they are tasting are unknown to the judges. Our panel of judges smell and taste their way through each whiskey, rating the aroma, taste complexity, and finish,” says Texas Whiskey Festival Co-Founder Jake Clements.
Austin 101 was one of six gold awards amongst 60 Texas whiskeys tasted from 29 craft Texas whiskey brands.
“It is an honor to have been awarded Gold by such a distinctive panel of judges in the blind tasting competition,“ say Austin Craft Spirits Founders. “We want to thank Jake and the organizers of the 2021 Texas Whiskey Festival for their relentless effort to support the Texas craft whiskey community. We are humbled to have received this amazing award and the recognition it brings to our efforts to establish Light Whiskey as an exciting new whiskey genre."
Gabrielle Nicole Pharms, one of the panel judges, reported: “when I blindly tasted Austin 101 Light Whiskey, I knew I’d found a winner for my particular palate. The other judges agreed and we gave it first prize in its category. That dram surprised me and I love it when I find myself surprised by a spirit. Get to tasting and find something that surprises you!” (A Judge Of The Texas Whiskey Festival Explains How She Rates Whiskey (uproxx.com))
Austin 101 Light Whiskey was born from the founders’ passion to craft ground breaking spirits. Inspired by traditional French Eau-de Vie methods, Austin 101 Light Whiskey is the perfect essence of local Texas grains. It tastes of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla, with sweetness, softness and nuttiness carefully extracted from the local grains, and with hints of oak aromas. It has a unique balance of smoothness and punch while delivering a very mellow and long finish. Light in taste, lightly oaked, it is uniquely approachable and easily enjoyed.
The only ingredients are grains grown in Texas; non-GMO Texas white corn, red winter wheat from the Texas panhandle, and Texas-grown barley malted in Fort Worth. Austin 101 is steam distilled in small batches through a 3-story custom-made column still. The steam distillation allows the mash to be lifted by steam, with temperatures kept below 210°F to preserve delicate aromas. The distillate is pulled from the still at a higher proof than most whiskeys and bourbons. Austin 101 is also finished in a completely different way than traditional bourbons. Through years of experimentation, Austin Craft Spirits Company has designed a unique method which requires the distillate to be finished in high quality, recycled oak whiskey barrels, largely from local craft bourbon makers. The approach focuses on precisely extracting light yet complex oak aromas while highlighting the sweetness and natural taste of the original grains, preserving trees and improving sustainability.
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About Austin 101 Light Whiskey
Austin 101 Light Whiskey is 50.5% alcohol by volume and is available in 750 ml bottles with a manufacturers’ suggested retail price of $49. It is produced by Austin Craft Spirits Company and distributed by Republic National Distributing Company. It may be purchased at many central Texas retailers which can be found at www.austin101whiskey.com/where-to-find.
About Austin Craft Spirits Company
Austin Craft Spirits Company (based in Austin, TX) was founded in 2018 by three veterans of the tech industry with a passion for delicious spirits. After years of research and experimentation, they decided to bring to market Austin 101 Light Whiskey following extensive consumer feedback and the support of successful, established Austin distilleries. Their vision is to bring out the essence of local Texas ingredients into unique and amazing craft spirits.
About the Texas Whiskey Festival
The festival’s mission is simple: To help promote and enhance the brands of the many great distilleries throughout Texas. We want to promote and educate whiskey lovers about the whiskeys produced in our great state. We’re doing it all while having fun, drinking great whiskey, and building memorable experiences. As an organization, we know that Texas has some of the best distilleries and whiskeys globally. The Texas Whiskey Festival is an opportunity to showcase that. For more information, please visit https://txwhiskeyfest.com/best-texas-whiskey-in-2021/.
Carolyn Cummins
Santosha Solutions
+1 512-843-1672
carolyn@santoshasolutions.com
