September s Bourbon Heritage Month, a celebration of America’s native spirit! Back in May of 1964, the United States Congress declared bourbon whiskey a “distinctive product of the United States.” To be a true version of America’s native spirit, there are a few rules:
- The bourbon has to be made in the USA.
- It has to be aged in first use American Oak barrels.
- It has to be made of at least 51% corn.
- And…to be called “Straight Bourbon,” it must be aged for at least 2 years.
Below are some great bourbon recommendations from Maverick Distilling and Milam & Greene Whiskey:
Maverick Distilling – (available both in-store at select retailers, at the tasting room, and online for direct shipping to most states)
Texas, and Texas whiskey, has its place in American history. And what could be more Texan than one of the men who helped Texas become Texas by signing the Texas Declaration of Independence? The man in reference is none other than Samuel Maverick. Sam Maverick brought whiskey with him on surveying expeditions, he closed out the day with his colleagues with a round of whiskey, and land deals were closed with a handshake and a barrel of whiskey. ‘
Today, history and spirit lovers can hear such tales at Maverick Distilling (located at 115 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78205) — a distillery, brewery, bar, and events center dedicated to Sam and Mary Ann Maverick, one of San Antonio’s earliest families. Located just steps away from the historic Alamo in San Antonio on the original Maverick family homestead, native son Kenneth Maverick established Maverick Distilling as a nod to the Maverick family’s storied Texas roots and patriarch Sam Maverick—for whom all other mavericks are named. The state-of-the-art distillery produces a variety of spirits distilled using Texas-grown grains on a copper hybrid pot still. Rich Texas history is imbued into the barrels as they age in the vault of this restored historic bank building. Visit the bar and tasting room to enjoy locally influenced beer brewed onsite, a flight of whiskey, or a cocktail from the drink menu. Guests can also book a private event on the third floor (seats 100 guests comfortably), or reserve the entire distillery for private party bookings. For more information visit: https://maverickwhiskey.com/.
Samuel Maverick Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($75/bottle; $80/bottle for Bottled-in-Bond)
Samuel Maverick Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a grain-to-glass whiskey produced completely in-house using select Texas-grown corn, rye, and barley and aged on-site in the vaults below the distillery located in the historic Lockwood National Bank building steps from the Alamo. Just seven barrels of the four-year-old reserve bourbon were bottled for this small-batch limited release. This premium hand-crafted straight bourbon is the first by Maverick Whiskey Distillery that is produced fully in-house. Glowing rich amber in color, Samuel Maverick Private Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey boasts deep aromas of clover-scented honey, Lockhart barbecue, and roasted Hill Country pecans. It’s a full-bodied bourbon with velvety texture and front-forward warm vanilla and subdued caramel flavors from Texas sweet corn and Edwards Aquifer water which grab the palate with each sip. Maverick Malthouse Rye brings out a balanced bitter-sweet chocolate flavors that melt into subtle clove and nutmeg of North Texas malted barley. Samuel Maverick Private Reserve is a straight bourbon to be savored with a rich honey and pepper finish which lingers with a wisp of smoke from the barrels, or maybe from the spirits of the Alamo. This whiskey is also available in Bottled-in-Bond form at $80/bottle.
Samuel Maverick Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($50)
Maverick Distilling’s Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey is distilled from a mash of Texas-grown Corn and Rye. Aged a minimum of 2 years in new Charred White Oak Barrels, this Bourbon is proofed to 88 (44% alcohol by volume) using Reverse Osmosis filtered water so that it sips nicely neat yet holds up on-the-rocks or in your favorite Whiskey cocktail. This Bourbon is non-chill filtered ensuring the true bold flavor of this Texas Whiskey. The nose is very sweet with notes of Crème Brûlée, caramel, and stone fruit. Charred oak is prevalent as well. The palate is delightfully smooth with notes of sweet black tea, cola, and cinnamon. The finish, while silky, has the peppery bite of Rye and a touch of menthol. Enjoy neat in a Glencairn, or in a delicious Old Fashioned complete with Luxardo Cherry.
MILAM & GREENE WHISKEY:
Milam & Greene – (available in-store at select retailers, at the tasting room, and via online for direct shipping)
Milam & Greene Whiskey is made by some of the world’s most experienced whiskey professionals, including CEO, master blender, and author, Heather Greene, and 30-year whiskey veteran (“2023 Master Blender of the Year”), and master distiller (and “2024 Master Distiller/Production Manager of the Year”), Marlene Holmes. The Milam & Greene team distills in Blanco, Texas on copper pot stills as well as in Kentucky on classic column stills, using its proprietary yeast recipe and mash bill. Aging takes place in rickhouses located across four states in casks with an assortment of char levels for a variety of flavors resulting in the most thorough array of casks made and collected by any craft distiller. These casks become the ingredients from which its award-winning American whiskey range is batched to create perfection. Milam & Greene Whiskey believes in using the best people and ingredients to create delicious, award-winning whiskey for whiskey lovers. For more information visit: www.milamandgreenewhiskey. com.
NEW! Milam & Greene Bottled in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch 1 ($64.99)
When talking to their customers and fans across the country, there was an overwhelming ask to release a Milam & Greene Bottled in Bond. The people asked, so they made it happen!
Bottled in Bond is a designation that was created in 1897 by way of the Bottled in Bond Act. It was done to protect the integrity, quality, and authenticity of aged whiskey in America because people were adding all sorts of stuff to spirits at the time. The Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 dictates that anyone using the title Bottled in Bond must meet the following criteria:
- The spirit must be produced in a single distilling season by a single distillery
- The spirits must mature in a U.S. bonded warehouse for a minimum of four years
- The aged spirits must be bottled at exactly 50% ABV / 100 Proof
Milam & Greene Bottle in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey was distilled in the fall of 2019 and released in the spring of 2024. The mash bill consists of 70% corn, 22% malted rye, and 8% malted barley. It is aged 4+ years in char-4 barrels and bottled at 100-proof / 50% ABV. A beautiful mahogany color, Milam & Greene Bottle in Bond Straight Bourbon Whiskey is grain forward on the nose with notes of fresh bread, malted milk balls, wildflower honey, and a touch of tannic oak. The finish on this whiskey is smooth with notes of grain, spearmint, and cinnamon.
Milam & Greene Very Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey Batch 1 ($69.99) – Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished With Charred French Oak Staves
Milam & Greene Master blender Heather Greene harvested 75 bourbon barrels to create the inaugural batch of Very Small Batch Bourbon. These barrels are a combination of bourbon distilled by master distiller Marlene Holmes in Kentucky using the proprietary Milam & Greene mash bill and barrels of Tennessee bourbon. The barrel recipe for Batch 1 is 20% of the precious Kentucky barrels and 80% Tennessee barrels. The barrels are divided into smaller batches to marry in 1,000-gallon vatting tanks before finishing. The Kentucky whiskey base is distilled by the Milam & Greene team using their signature mash bill of 70% corn, 22% malted rye, and 8% malted barley. The use of malted rye provides a rich texture and nuttiness that makes it approachable at a young age. For Batch 1, the barrels are aged in Kentucky and then Texas for just shy of 4 years. The Tennessee bourbon was distilled with a mash bill of 80% corn, 10% rye, and 10% malted barley. This batch is a reflection of the climate on whiskey from three different states: Kentucky, Tennessee, and Texas.
Using very small batches as the heart of our new whiskey allows for greater control over the final product. It takes much more attention to detail to produce an elegant whiskey that showcases the esters that are produced during fermentation to bring out refined fruit, floral, and herbaceous notes. To perfect the precise wood flavor without overpowering these refined ester notes, Very Small Batch Bourbon is finished with French oak staves. French oak casks that once held both tawny port wine and then Milam & Greene’s award-winning rye whiskey are broken down, then “cooked” in the 100-degree Texan summer sun, and finally house-charred to a crisp on the outside only. These crispy-on-the-outside, rye-kissed on-the-inside staves are tied in bundles and then steeped in Very Small Batch Bourbon for about two weeks in the vatting tanks.
Milam & Greene Triple Cask Bourbon Whiskey ($46.99) – A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskies
Each bottle of Milam & Greene Triple Cask is a batch of three hand-selected straight bourbon whiskies from three states: our premium Texas bourbon made in a 300-gallon pot still for a pop of spice, married with our Kentucky whiskey made in a continuous column still for vanillas and fruits, with sourced vintage Tennessee whiskey for structure and tannins. Milam & Greene Master Distiller, Marlene Holmes, and her whiskey team distill in both Blanco, Texas and Bardstown, Kentucky. The mash bill for both our Texas and Kentucky distillates is 70% corn, 22% malted rye, and 8% barley with our proprietary yeast recipe. The whiskey is aged in barrels across three states before they come to Texas for final aging, batching, proofing and bottling.
