Treaty Oak Distilling

Treaty Oak Distilling Barrel

Treaty Oak Distilling Road Signs

Treaty Oak Distilling Map

Tasting Room Entrance - Treaty Oak Distilling

Tasting Room - Visitor Center - Treaty Oak Distilling

Distillery - Treaty Oak Distilling

Cooker - Treaty Oak Distilling

Fermenters - Treaty Oak Distilling

Column Still - Treaty Oak Distilling

Still and Doubler - Treaty Oak Distilling

Gin Stills - Treaty Oak Distilling

Rickhouse - Barrels are stored vertically

Bottling Line - Treaty Oak Distilling

Tasting - Treaty Oak Distilling

Alices Restaurant - Treaty Oak Distilling

The Grounds - Treaty Oak Distilling

Treaty Oak Distilling Co.

16604 Fitzhugh Rd

Dripping Springs, TX 78620

512-599-0335

https://www.treatyoakdistilling.com

Treaty Oak Distilling was founded in 2006 by Daniel Barnes becoming the fourth distillery to operate in Texas. In 2016 in order to accommodate continuing expansion, Barnes moved the distillery to its current location, 28 acres in Dripping Springs, Texas. Treaty Oak is unique in that it not only has a license for making distilled spirits, but it is also licensed to produce beer and wine. In addition to the distillery, a small brewery operates on site, as well as a restaurant, an open air cocktail bar, and a visitor center/tasting bar. Wine is not made on-site, but is sourced from Kuhlman Cellars in nearby Stonewall, Texas. Locally grown heirloom grain is ground at Barton Springs Mill, which is soon to be located on the ranch in their newly constructed mill. There are also plans for an onsite malting facility and bakery.

The grounds are spacious, with plenty of places to relax with friends and enjoy any one of Treaty Oak’s carefully crafted spirits, cocktails, or beers. Play a game of cornhole, listen to local live music on weekends, or just enjoy the great outdoors. There’s a little something here for everyone. Our visit was on a weekday, and there were only a few other visitors on the grounds. On weekends, we were told, hundreds of people come to enjoy the facilities, the food and of course the spirits.

We purchased our tour tickets in The Tasting Room, which also serves as the merchandise store, bottle shop, bar and visitor center. The building that houses The Tasting Room is unique as it originally operated as llama barn. We met our tour guide, Eden, at the bar. A complimentary cocktail (or mocktail) is offered with each tour ticket purchased. Beverages are allowed/encouraged on the tour, so we gladly accepted. Our tour left the Tasting Room and headed to the distillery, just a short walk away. En route, we passed The Rickhouse, which is an open air cocktail bar serving Treaty Oak’s beers, cocktails made with their spirits, and tastings. It is open Friday-Sunday only, and because our visit was early in the week, its large sliding doors were closed.

Once inside the distillery, just past the entrance, we entered a small tasting bar. This was originally where all tastings took place, but it is no longer sufficient and is now only used for certain tours and special events. Tastings for everyone else are provided in either the Tasting Room where our tour began, or at The Rickhouse. Grains are obtained predominantly from local farmers and are milled at Barton Springs Mill, which as previously mentioned, will soon be moving to a two acre plot on the ranch. Grains are cooked in a single large cooker or “mash tun”. The hatch, valves and pipes on top are accessed via a large spiral staircase. Fermentation then takes place in a row of 5 large fermenters. There are multiple stills on-site, from small gin stills to the new column still, which has been in operation for a year and a half. Interestingly, the still was a bit larger than expected, and a hole needed to be cut in the roof of the distillery to accommodate it. Oddly enough it’s not the first time we’ve seen this happen.

Aging takes place on-site. The rickhouse can accommodate 4000 barrels, and is just about at capacity, so there are plans to build another. The barrel aged gin is temporarily being stored outside due to space constraints. Another Interesting feature is found inside the rickhouse. Here barrels are stored standing on their ends atop wooden pallets as a cost and space saving technique. The bung hole (the hole through which barrels are filled and emptied) is in the barrel head, rather than on the side as in virtually every other distillery. Barrels are constructed in this atypical way for Treaty Oak by Kelvin Cooperage, in Louisville, KY. Bottling takes place back inside the distillery building, and is done by hand, using a four bottle filler.

The tour ended where it began, in The Tasting Room. Appropriately, it was then time for our tasting. Generous samples of Treaty Oak's gins, bourbons and rye were provided allowing us to fully experience and enjoy the spirits.

Treaty Oak produces both gin and bourbon. There are two lines of bourbon, Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon Whiskey, which is distilled on-site, and Red Handed Bourbon Whiskey, which is sourced. Two versions of the Red Handed Bourbon Whiskey are currently available. The first is a young version, sourced from Heaven Hill, and aged at least 2 years. The second is a 13 year old sourced from Tennessee (Dickel). There is also Red Handed Rye Whiskey, which is 10 years old and sourced from the Schenely Distillery in Canada. It’s refreshing to see the distillery’s transparency regarding those products which they do not actually distill. The folks at Treaty Oak are also doing some innovative experiments. One, for example, which I sampled (and purchased) was a version of their Ghost Hill Texas Bourbon Whiskey (“Resurrected”). This bourbon was aged underground, resulting in some very unique flavors. All bottles are available for purchase in The Tasting Room six days a week. On the 7th day, the bottles rest at all distilleries in Texas.

A visit to Treaty Oak Distilling certainly has plenty to offer. Whether it’s a tour or a taste, a cocktail or a bite to eat, this family friendly (including the four legged members) ranch is certainly worth the trip. Oh, and the bourbon is pretty good, too!

Please note that Distillery Hours and Tour/Tasting Availability may vary. Please contact the distillery or check their web page or social media for details before you go.

Days of operation	Tasting Room: Mon-Thurs: 12pm-7pm Fri-Sun: 12pm-9pm Tours: Mon-Fri: 2pm & 4pm Sat: Hourly, on the hour, 1pm - 6pm
Paved Drive / Lot	Large, unpaved somewhat rocky and uneven parking lot
Motorcycle Parking	No
Motorcycle unfriendly features	Unpaved, uneven parking lot
Number of tours per day	Mon-Fri: 2 Sat: 6
Length of Tour(s)	45 minute tour, including a tasting
Advanced topic tours?	No
Advanced topic tour names	N/A
Tours by owners /distillers available?	No
Number of different types of tours	1
On-Line Tour Reservations Available	Yes
Advanced Reservations Recommended/Required	Probably not needed on weekdays. Recommended Friday and Saturday
Cost for tour(s) in $	$15
Tasting Included?	Yes
Number of samples included in tasting	5+
Tasting Only Option?	Yes, In the Tasting Room or Rickhouse Cocktail Bar
Tasting Only Option Cost	$10
High-end tasting option?	All spirits are available for tasting.
High-end tasting option cost?	N/A
Designated Driver Option	Mocktail provided on tours.
Handicapped Accessible?	There are few if any steps, however the outdoor trails are dirt and gravel and some surfaces may be rough.
Souvenirs included with tour?	No
Gift shop	Yes
On-Site bottle sales?	Yes
On-site food: Restaurant/Cafe/Snacks	Yes, Alice's Restaurant (Fri-Sun 12pm-9pm only)
On-site Cocktail bar	Yes, The Tasting Room and the Rickhouse Cocktail Bar (Fri-Sun: 12pm-9pm only)
On-site event space	Yes. The property is huge.
Should I visit? (Yes, Perhaps, No)	Yes
Unique Features	Very large property with ample space for outdoor activities, relaxing and listening to live music on weekends. On-site restaurant and cocktail bar. On-site mill and malting (coming soon). Vertical barrel storage. Licensed to produce wine, spirits and beer.
Website	https://www.treatyoakdistilling.com
Date Visited	January 2020

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