The first Texas Bourbon Shootout is happening on February 1, 2019, in Longview, and that got us thinking. There appears to be a revolution of sorts in Texas bourbon – a change in tastes, if you will. Although revolutionary thinking is nothing new to the Lone Star State, the concept of such a great American product being made as a top-of-the-line beverage, earning top marks in high-end tastings is something we haven’t seen before. And soon there will be a title champ for the Best Bourbon in Texas!
To the bourbon aficionado, this isn’t news. To the average person who felt that this was traditionally the “working man’s drink,” it’s surprising. What’s not surprising is the quality and craftsmanship of the bourbon product coming from several top Texas distillers. Andrew Griffith, President of the East Texas Bourbon Society recently told news-journal.com, “A lot of folks think you can only make bourbon in Kentucky, which is not accurate at all. Texas is going to be to bourbon what California is to wines. Love it or hate it, there’s something special about it… High humidity is really good for aging bourbon. In Texas, we can age bourbon about three times as fast as they can in Kentucky, just because of the humidity.”
