Real Ale Introduces Whiskey And Gin

Real Spirits Distilling Co., an extension of Branco’s Real Ale Brewing, has made a debut by unveiling two new expressions of whiskey and a gin. The whiskeys, namely Texas Hill Country Single Barrel Whiskey and Texas Hill Country Signature Whiskey, have been either blended or taken from a barrel of nonage statement whiskey, roughly two years old. The ‘Grain to Glass Gin’ on the other hand, has been made from a blend of botanicals, exclusively sourced from Texas. Real Spirits has emphasized the weather and vegetation of Hill Country to develop a Texas terroir for both the offerings.

An unhopped form of Real Ale’s beer has been used as a base for both the products. Real Spirits has used a 240-gallon Spanish alembic still for distillation, instead of a more typical column. This according to distiller Davin Topel, will allow both the whiskey and gin to preserve its original base flavor of the source beer.

The two different variants of whiskey- Single Barrel ($60) and Signature ($50) are matured in all new American oak barrels by exposing them directly to the Texas sun. The resulting heat and daytime temperature variations speed up the overall aging procedure by enhancing the rate at which the spirit oozes in and out of the barrels walls. Topel expects that this environmental edge will help their products achieve the same aging in two years as a Kentucky-based distillery would achieve in four years in a cooler climate.

Owner Brad Farbstein underlines the fact that Real Spirits is all set to take things slow at the start, considering that it is still at the thresholds. For the near future, Real Spirits will be selling its spirits only in its Blanco-based brewery while focusing more on refining its processes and creating new range of products.