Still Austin Tanager Bourbon Review [In Depth]
Still Austin Tanager Bourbon
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Still Austin Tanager Bourbon Details
Distillery: Still Austin
Type & Region: Bourbon, Texas, USA
Alcohol: 53%
Composition: Blend of 60% Blue Corn Bourbon, 27% Red Corn Bourbon, and 13% White Corn Bourbon. Each component has rye and malted barley in it
Aged: At least 5 years
Color: 1.5/2.0 on the color scale (auburn, polished mahogany)
Price: $80-100
From the company website:
Old World meets Texas ingenuityMade from a combination of red, white, and blue corn bourbon, along with rye and malted barley used as small grains.
The whiskey has been aged for at least 5 years and was hand-selected for its most exceptional qualities by our Master Blender, Nancy Fraley, and our Head Distiller, John Schrepel.
To create our most premium offering to date, Nancy and John combined our finest 6-year old high rye bourbon with pure Texas water and aged it to at least 50 proof for at least one year before adding it to the base whiskey for final proofing. This ancient blending technique, known as Petites Eaux (small waters), has been used for centuries in the Cognac and Armagnac regions of France.
Petites Eaux creates a rich and complex flavor profile, adding more caramelized wood sugars and length to the palate of the final product. This is similar to the standing practice of ‘barrel rinsing’ used amongst many bourbon producers, but utilizes a much longer aging process. For Tanager, the result is a cigar blend whiskey with a remarkably sweet and soft finish.
Still Austin Tanager Bourbon overview
Still Austin Tanager, the one with the confusing and esoteric name, is one heck of an experiment in bourbon. First off, it’s one of the most expensive (if not the most) Still Austin releases ever at $150. It’s so expensive and limited that Still Austin chose not to send me a bottle…and they’ve sent me a lot of stuff in the past.
I’m not 100% sure if they even did media samples (they probably did for a handful of bloggers / vloggers), but I wasn’t one of them. But know what, I usually don’t hold grudges. So when an opportunity arose to buy one, I paid for it myself in hopes of finding something amazing. And if you’re reading this or other reviews, you are also supporting me in buying these bottles.
That was a bit of a tangent so I’m going to get back on track. So what is Still Austin Tanager? First off, I believe “Tanager” refers to a type of songbird. I looked that up online, I’m not actually that knowledgeable. That makes sense as they often include bird themes on their labels, and birds are displayed all over the packaging and bottle.
And on that note, the packaging is gorgeous and opulent. It’s some of the most artistic, elegant, beautiful packaging that I’ve ever seen with bourbon. Opening the box unveils gorgeous artwork that seems too good for a bottle of bourbon. It’s a real statement piece. While the packaging doesn’t have any impact on how the bourbon drinks, it’s certainly pretty on the shelf and hopefully the bourbon itself is equally as beautiful.
On top of the fancy packaging, Nancy Fraley uses the “little waters” or “petit eaux” technique, often used in Armagnac / Cognac, to craft this bourbon. To borrow from the press release, “Nancy and John combined Still Austin’s finest six-year-old high rye bourbon with pure Texas water, allowing it to age at 50 proof (25% ABV) for at least a year before adding it to the base whiskey for final proofing.”
Wait what…that was unexpected. So first off, this is a blend of three bourbons with different mashbills and types of corn, and they also blend in whiskey that isn’t actually allowed to be called bourbon on its own because it’s under 40% ABV. Once you blend it in and all together over 40% ABV it’s fine.
This unique part of the bourbon making process comes back to the point that lower barrel entry proofs are associated with richer flavors because the lower alcohol liquid interacts in a more gentle and refined way with the oak, as compared to higher barrel entry proofs such as 62.5% ABV where it’s much more intense and can extract more toastiness and harshness.
While the bourbon doesn’t age for 6+ years at such a low ABV, proofing it down to 25% ABV and aging it for 1 year in the Texas weather probably leads to some interesting results. I’ll likely never get to try that part of the blend, but it’s probably good.
Let’s find out if this bourbon soars or crashes in this Still Austin Tanager bourbon review.
I’d like to thank you and everyone else who reads The Whiskey Shelf for helping me buy this bottle. All opinions are my own and for your benefit.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Still Austin Tanager Bourbon smell
I smell dark caramel and a lot of dried cherry, vanilla bean, dried red apple peel, fragrant roasted oak, cinnamon, clove, and some wood varnish. While I know that this is around 5 years old, this really smells like 12-14 years old. That’s a crazy thing to experience, because that is not normal.
Still Austin Tanager smells amazing. It’s an old (but not actually), dark, mature, and developed bourbon with fantastic dark sweetness, dark red fruit, and well controlled heat.
After swirling and 15 minutes of rest, I get a slightly brighter dark sweetness like brown sugar, dried and candied cherry, vanilla bean, red apple peel, a lot of fragrant toasted oak, cinnamon, spritzes of sliced oranges, dark chocolate, tobacco, and wood varnish. This still smells incredible, and again I’m impressed with what Still Austin and Nancy Fraley are doing.
My critique (but not really a big one) is that while the complexity, and age (or the impression of it) are impressive, the depth and fullness aren’t all there yet. The really impressive 12+ year old MGP and Jim Beam Bourbons have an extra level of low end and fullness that isn’t here yet. I’m not upset by any means, but it’s a bit of a tell that this isn’t truly that old yet.
It’s still undeniable that the crafting and barrel selection are excellent because I can’t stop smelling it.
Still Austin Tanager Bourbon taste and aftertaste
To start, I taste caramel, dried cherry and red apple peel, vanilla bean, roasted oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, and tobacco. Just like the scents, Still Austin Tanager tastes like a much older bourbon, easily 12 years old. It’s astounding that it’s only 5ish years old, because this is some crazy bourbon witchcraft that’s happening to make it feel more than double its true age.
The sweet oak, spice, and tobacco really do feel like a cigar blend. These usually have armagnac and sherry cask finishes, but I really do get the same experience without it. I wish that the fruit and sweetness were a little more bold (often comes from port, sherry, and brandy cask finishes) because the oak and spice definitely are, but this still feels balanced, albeit a tad oak forward.
I just generally prefer my bourbons to be more sweet and fruit forward, and my favorite “Cigar Blends”, such as older batches of Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend and Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau de Laubade Batch 1, have more fruit to them.
With “chewing”, I taste rich caramel, dried cherry, vanilla, roasted oak, cinnamon, fresh orange, tobacco, dark chocolate, caramel nougat, and a hint of dry grassiness. Still Austin Tanager has bold and expressive sweetness and oak with well represented fruitiness that isn’t quite to the same level as the sweetness and oak.
The finish leaves a mix of woody and sweet with caramel, dried fruit, and oak followed by long lasting roasted oak, tobacco, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little sweetness for balance. After “chewing”, it leaves sweet caramel, fresh orange, dried cherry, effervescent oak, cinnamon, clove, and tobacco with long lasting oak, cinnamon, and tobacco.
That said, this is not for you if you don’t like oaky bourbons. As great as I think this is, the oak is unavoidable, and I can handle this much oak. If you know that it’s not for you, I can easily recommend that you avoid this. You will hate it, so don’t waste your money.
For me though, I think that Still Austin Tanager is flat out delicious, complex, and interesting. The dark woodiness and sweetness make this taste much older than it actually is. At the same time, the not quite strong enough fruitiness, low end fullness, and viscosity hold me back from “Top Shelf+”, but that’s not much of a critique all things considered.
Still Austin Tanager might not be quite to the same level as the “Top Shelf+” Bardstown Bourbon Company Chateau de Laubade batch 1 from 2020 or Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend, but it’s still an incredible tasting bourbon in its own right that I’m very happy to keep sipping.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
Still Austin Tanager Bourbon Rating
Still Austin Tanager is an epic achievement of a bourbon, and I think that just about every distillery out there should be envious of what Still Austin has done to craft such a developed, mature, and complex bourbon that mostly drinks 2-3 times its actual age. I don’t know how they do it, because it feels like magic.
It’s amazing that Still Austin crafted something like this in the way that they did. This is far from the pinnacle of what Still Austin can do because they can still do so much better in time, and I continue to be very excited for what is still to come.
I’m really on the fence about “Top Shelf+” and “chewing” gets it pretty close, but it comes up just a little short because of the body, expressiveness, and pop. I’m still very happy with this, but a few small additions would have made a big difference to get it over the top.
I’m very glad that I got a bottle and that I’m lucky enough to be able to afford it. While I do not smoke cigars (or anything for that matter), “Cigar Blend” is absolutely an appropriate term and I can see this pairing very well with a cigar.
$150 for a 5 year old bourbon sounds ridiculous at face value, but the experience you get and the peek into the magic that is yet to come, are worth the price of admission. While Still Austin Tanager may not necessarily be the highest rated whiskey I have this year, all things considered it might be the most impressive.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
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