Spirit of Texas Pfluger Single Malt
Texas whiskies can be very polarizing. Sometimes it’s the flavor, sometimes it’s the cost (looking at you, Garrison Bros., even though I like your products), sometimes it’s some quirk of distilling and aging in Texas that forces the whiskey to age more quickly…lots of factors can make or break a Texas whiskey.
On one hand, that’s a sign that Texas distilling is, to put it bluntly, cool. It’s not all bourbon, it’s not all rye, it’s a mix of grains and finishes and different barrel sizes with every producer doing something a little differently. While not everything works out, there’s something to be said for that wild diversity over the relative monotony of Kentucky whiskies. I’ve tried products from six or seven different Texas distilleries with wide age ranges, different grains, some bourbons, some single malts, some in small barrels and some in larger barrels to slow the aging, and if there’s a single constant I can connect them all with it’s that there is no defining “Texas whiskey” at this time.
Take Pfluger Single Malt from the Spirit of Texas Distillery (also sometimes called a Brewstillery). A single malt whiskey - 100% malt - made in the heat of Texas outside Austin in the eponymous town of Pflugerville. This whiskey is aged in 30-gallon barrels, something I found surprising: you’d expect them to use a larger barrel like some of their Texas counterparts to slow the aging and control it better, and yet there was no hint of either youth or over-oaking, both simultaneously possible when working with a small barrel. Maybe Shaun and the team felt confident controlling the aging in the relatively stable weather of Austin (usually low 60s in the winter to mid-90s in the summer, a smaller temperature swing than in Kentucky).
Unlike some competitors, Spirit of Texas also didn’t rush to market - their distillery opened in 2009, but didn’t release their first single malt until 2016. It hasn’t stopped winning awards since.
Trying this blind, it was genuinely something new. It didn’t taste like something else (except for a note on the finish - more on that below), it was something different. I think there are still a few kinks, and it has room to grow on my scale, but damn if I’m not impressed by what’s in the bottle right now. And at $54.99, you won’t be complaining about the price, either.
Sidenote: thank you to Anthony at PourCast for the sample! Be sure to visit his YouTube channel and follow him on Instagram.
Spirit of Texas Pfluger Single Malt Whiskey: Specs
Classification: American Single Malt Whiskey
Origin: Spirit of Texas Brewstillery
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Proof: 92 (46% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Texas
Spirit of Texas Pfluger Single Malt Whiskey Price: $54.99
Spirit of Texas Pfluger Single Malt Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark maple syrup. Thin rims and droplets all over the glass.
Nose: Rice pudding, lemon custard, clove, and nutmeg. No proof, great oak creaminess you don’t find every day on a nose. Cinnamon dusting on a dessert-y nose that keeps getting creamier with air.
Palate: Meyer lemon, front-of-tongue pepper spice with a lot more oak. Almost smoky levels of wood char. Caramelizing-to-burning cocoa, hint of mint in the background. Mouthfeel is light-to-medium, less creaminess but more oak spices and cinnamon in particular. Lemon zest and eucalyptus.
Finish: Medium-long finish with powerful caramel notes and a grainy entrance. Reminds me of a Garrison Bros-type finish with manuka honey and Ricola drops.
Overall: A different feel for sure. Starts quite creamy and custardy before the flavor ups the ante , though it has some mouthfeel on the palate, too. The nose develops beautifully with air, albeit slowly. A great entry into the variety of American single malts.
Final Rating: 6.7
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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