When Still Austin released their Cask Strength Rye Whiskey, they weren’t chasing accolades; they were pursuing character. And yet, with a Double Gold Medal and the title Rye Whiskey of the Year at the 2025 Bartender Spirits Awards, recognition came quickly. This whiskey, crafted from 100% Texas-grown rye and guided by Master Blender Nancy “The Nose” Fraley, delivers intensity with balance, structure with nuance.

More than just a high-proof iteration of their core Artist Rye, this is a vivid expression of place, people, and philosophy. From barrel selection to label design, Still Austin blends tradition and intuition in equal measure, treating whiskey as both a science and a medium for storytelling. The result is a spirit that speaks confidently to bartenders, collectors, and curious drinkers alike.

Your Cask Strength Rye is described as an “Artist” of distinctive vigor, blending intuitive craft with precise blending. Could you tell us more about what makes this release special, whether in terms of its barrel selection, blending approach, or connection to the Texan terroir?

Still Austin continued its tradition of hand-distilling in small batches, using 100% Texas-grown rye, with its second cask strength offering: Cask Strength Rye. This spirit is a more aromatically intense, technicolor version of The Artist, boasting rich notes of cherry cobbler with a buttery cinnamon crust, candied ginger and lemon peels, and apricot streusel coffee cake. The palate delivers flavors of grilled peaches with mint ice cream, apple and marzipan dumplings, and gingerbread cookies with lemon zest, leading to a long, spicy finish evoking sensations of baking spices in brown butter, and muddled cherries and mint leaves. 

Like painting, distilling represents an intermingling of calculated craft and wild intuition. This impressive cask-strength whiskey combines the nuance of “The Artist” with the robust intensity of a barrel-proof spirit, resulting in an all-new “Artist” of distinctive vigor and complexity. 

The bottle features custom artwork from celebrated artist and Texas-native, Marc Burckhardt. This rendition of the artwork seen on “The Artist” bottle now includes a dark night sky to emphasize its darker, stronger nature. 

Image: Cask Strength Rye Whiskey - Double Gold Medal and the title of “Rye Whiskey of the Year” at the 2025 Bartender Spirits Awards.

Nancy “The Nose” Fraley selected the barrels for this release. What does her involvement bring to the identity of the whiskey, and how closely does she collaborate with your team on expressions like this?

A: We’re incredibly honored to have Nancy “The Nose” Fraley as our Master Blender. Her influence has been foundational to our identity since the release of our flagship bourbon, The Musician, in 2020. Every whiskey expression we’ve crafted has been shaped by her extraordinary sensory skill and deep understanding of barrel aging and blending. 

Nancy approaches each new project with an extraction process. She begins by evaluating dozens of single-barrel samples, carefully analyzing the color, aroma, and flavor of each. From there, she organizes them into three distinct lots, A, B, and C, based on their unique characteristics. Using a graduated cylinder, she meticulously blends small amounts of each lot to create a prototype of the final expression. She often describes this as “building a pyramid,” where each lot contributes a foundational layer to the overall balance and complexity of the blend. 

Nancy’s nose and palate are nothing short of legendary. She not only detects subtle flavor notes and flaws, but can often determine where in the Rick House a barrel was aged, an intuition earned through decades of experience. 

Her involvement in expressions like our Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is deeply collaborative. Nancy works closely with our team at every stage to ensure each batch reflects our shared commitment to craft, character, and complexity.

Image: Master Blender Nancy Fraley.

What are your current distribution plans across the U.S. and internationally? Where can consumers and the trade find it? Are you working with any national retail chains, specialty stores, or key on-premise partners?

Our Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is currently available to purchase in the U.S. online at stillaustin.com and in select retail stores. Texas residents can also purchase from one of our partners through our website. 

Stil Austin’s brand philosophy often draws parallels between artistry and distillation. How does that ethos carry through to your broader company vision, and how is it expressed across your full range of whiskeys?

At Still Austin, we believe that making great whiskey is as much an art form as it is a science, and that philosophy is at the heart of everything we do. Just as an artist carefully composes a piece to evoke emotion and tell a story, our approach to distillation is rooted in intention, creativity, and a deep respect for the craft. 

Image: Still Austin Distillery.

This ethos comes to life not only in our distilling process but also in how we present and share our whiskey with the world. We collaborate with local artists to design the labels for our limited Distillery Reserve Series, turning each bottle into a collectible piece of visual art. For our flagship lineup, we partnered with acclaimed Austin artist Marc Burckhardt to create original paintings that reflect the spirit and story behind each expression. These visual narratives add a layer of depth to the Still Austin experience, inviting our community to see and taste the artistry in every pour. 

Beyond the bottle, our live entertainment venue has become a gathering place for creatives, musicians, artists, and storytellers who represent the vibrant culture of Texas. It’s this intersection of creativity, community, and craftsmanship that defines Still Austin’s broader vision to build a brand where whiskey and artistry inspire one another, and where every release reflects the soul of our home state. 

Image: Still Austin’s tasting room with live entertainment.

Could you share how Still Austin incorporates sustainable practices into sourcing, distilling, or packaging, and how that story is communicated to your audience?

Still Austin is committed to sustainability by sourcing all its grains from Texas farms, significantly reducing transportation-related carbon emissions. This local approach also contributes to the unique character of our bourbon, particularly through our use of specific grain varieties like white corn. Our growers are leaders in water conservation, employing methods such as precision irrigation, no-till farming for water retention, and utilizing rye crop residue to harvest snow and conserve precipitation. 

Image: Grains from Texas farms.

Beyond grain sourcing, Still Austin extends its sustainable practices to waste management and energy efficiency. All spent grains are returned to local ranchers for cattle feed, creating a circular system exemplified by a dinner featuring beef fed with our grains. The distillery itself is designed for water conservation, incorporating multiple water reuse loops and utilizing recycled water for chilling instead of glycol. Furthermore, our Austin location grants access to renewable energy through the city's GreenChoice program. We also pay a small premium to ensure 100% of our electricity comes from renewable sources. 

Image: Chris Seals, co-owner of Still Austin.

Header Image: (Left)Cleveland Seals and (Right) son Chris Seals, the owners of Still Austin Whiskey Co.

Conclusion

Still Austin’s Cask Strength Rye is more than a one-time release riding the wave of awards season. It represents a maturing vision, one where Texan-grown grain, artistic collaboration, and thoughtful sustainability converge in a bottle that reflects the soul of its region. As the distillery builds on this momentum, their commitment to creative integrity and grounded growth suggests we’re only beginning to see what this team is capable of.

In conversation with Malvika Patel, Editor and VP, Beverage Trade Network

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