I love drinking stuff made in Texas. No, I'm not a native Texan, but I'm a Texan now, and I love everything about Texas, including the amazing vodkas and whiskeys being produced here. Yes, I drink stuff that isn't from Texas, but if I have a choice, I'm buying local. Just like I buy from the local co-op farm. It's the logical choice.
Rebecca Creek Fine Texas Spirit Whiskey
Enter Rebecca Creek Fine Texas Spirit Whiskey, made in San Antonio, Texas at the Rebecca Creek Distillery. Their main product is Enchanted Rock Vodka, which is a good mixing vodka, and one of the main vodkas I buy. But I had not tried their whiskey before, so I picked up a bottle when I went to Specs last time.
This whiskey is hard to classify. It's made with barley, and you can tell immediately that it isn't a bourbon, for it doesn't have the sweetness or the caramel. And it isn't a rye, for it does not have rye's spiciness. Its difference is both its biggest flaw and its saving grace.
It is meant to be a sipping whiskey, but the flavor just doesn't seem big enough for sipping. Nothing much stands out. There's a clear alcohol taste, but it isn't overwhelming. Other than that, there are some wood notes and a dryness reminiscent of meat. No, it doesn't taste like meat, but there is a savory note in there that reminds me of it. Maybe it's leather.
So as a sipping whiskey, it's easy to drink. The flavors don't jump out, but there isn't a lot to hold the attention once the novelty of the "what is this?" question wears off.
But as a mixing whiskey, this stuff is great. I find that most bourbon flavors get lost in drinks anyway, and this one is able to let mixers stand out. It lets the sweet vermouth shine. It lets whatever you put into it have center stage. And I like it for that.
