Distillery Review - Flanigan's Wine and Spirits, Bertram, Texas

Hidden between Leander and Burnet, well off the beaten path, is Flanigan's Wine and Spirits.  Flanigan's storefront is  located in an old brick building in Bertram, with their production facility across the street.  Immediately upon entering, the first thing you notice is the spectacular decor - they have done a remarkable job of simulating a late-19th Century through Depression-era saloon-hotel, with alcoves, nooks, and private tables scattered across two stories and false doors giving the illusion of hotel rooms, a grand ballroom, and a much larger interior than is actually the case.  A large fireplace and common space dominates one side of the main room, and a bar runs the length of the other, with tables between.

I have been to Flanigan's repeatedly, and each time have taken a slightly different approach.  The first time we were there, the proprietors, Kevin and Kathleen Flanigan, were quite busy, but got to us within fifteen minutes; the second, we arrived when they opened and thus got much more time with them.  The most recent time, we actually arrived mid-wave, and I am completely fine with saying we monopolized Kevin's time for a half-hour or so of busy day, because Kevin Flanigan is a character - former priest, medical doctor, Army officer, and now distiller.  Every time we go in, I wind up hearing a new batch of stories and jokes; even if half of them were false, they're still fascinating and well-told.

That doesn't tell you much about the spirits themselves, though, does it? Well... actually it does.  You see, Flanigan's is run by a family with a knowledge of chemistry and an Irish temperament, so their signature spirit is poitin, poteen, or however else you may choose to spell it; Irish has a fast-and-loose relationship with spelling.  It is a potato spirit, similar to vodka but emphatically not vodka.  Vodka is, in my experience, a quick-and-dirty spirit that has no flavor of its own but burn; poitin, at least Flanigan's, is much softer, more subtle, and carries just enough earthy potato to it to be pleasant.  Straight from the still, clear, it's the Creature; after two years in a charred white oak barrel, it becomes Texas American Gothic, hands-down my favorite product of theirs.  It retains vodka's neutral-spirit essence and picks up the flavors of a barrel, and in the process becomes a liquor that will function equally well in recipes for whiskey or for vodka - though I prefer mine neat.  Flanigan's offers two other major spirits - grappa, made from grape pressings and available in plain and pecan-infused, and the Patriot, a 100% corn liquor.  In both cases, their chemistry knowledge comes into play, as unlike traditional grappa, their grappa is almost aggressively nice, a Minnesota-nice iteration on what has a reputation as being cheap, hard-drinking swill, and the Patriot's 100% corn mash bill gives it a very sweet flavor profile while still including the reactive enzymes found in rye, wheat, and barley that allow corn to ferment.

Now, I haven't described what I would get there, though I have told you my favorite; getting just the American Gothic is a perfectly fine choice, but it is not the best choice.  The best choice is to get a tasting, and allow them to walk you through the methodology of tasting, the why and how of each step, and to explain what each of the liquors (or wines - they do have a good wine selection, but what makes them different is their liquor) is, does, and how it is distinct.  It is educational, and will inform how you approach other liquors and distilleries.

Every time I go in Flanigan's, I wind up bringing someone new, who has never visited before.  I cannot recommend them highly enough, and hope you enjoy a visit.

This IS my smiling face.

Flanigan's Wine and Spirits is located at 330 North Lampasas Street, Bertram, TX, 78605.  There is a TABC two-bottle per person limit on spirits purchased on site.