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VinePair named Still Austin Whiskey Co. its 2026 Next Wave Awards Rising Drinks Brand of the Year. The Austin distillery combines Texas-grown grain and locally produced whiskey with a brand identity centered on artists and community; it reported about 100,000 distillery visitors last year.
Still Austin Whiskey Co., the Austin-based distillery, has been named Rising Drinks Brand of the Year in VinePair’s 2026 Next Wave Awards. The recognition highlights a company that has spent more than a decade building a Texas grain-to-glass whiskey business alongside a brand identity tied to local artists and community life.
VinePair’s report traces the company’s origins to 2012, when Cleveland Seals began exploring a distillery as a retirement project and asked his son, Chris Seals, to join him. Chris, then working as an economist and risk manager, became the company’s CEO. The family’s effort developed into a commercial distillery after Texas changed its laws: a 2013 state law allowed in-state distillers to sell directly to consumers and offer tastings on site.
The Seals family and partners Andrew and Lisa Braunberg, and Sal and Joanna Salinas, broke ground on a facility in Austin’s St. Elmo neighborhood in 2014. Head distiller John Schrepel produced the distillery’s first whiskey in 2017, using his own mashbills. VinePair says whiskey maturation and blending were advised by industry specialist Nancy Fraley.
Still Austin’s production approach emphasizes Texas-grown grains and whiskey distilled and aged in the state. Its straight bourbon, The Musician, uses white corn, while its straight rye, The Artist, is made with a mashbill of 100 percent Brasetto rye, according to the report. The company’s labels feature full-color paintings by Texas artist Marc Burckhardt. VinePair reports that the distillery drew about 100,000 visitors last year, with guests also able to attend live music events at its venue.
A Texas Brand Beyond the Bottle
The award points to a drinks business whose identity is built around more than whiskey production. Still Austin presents its work as part of Austin’s creative community, using artist-designed labels and events to connect the brand with musicians, artists and visitors. That approach gives the company a distinct way to stand out in a crowded spirits market, while its focus on local grain and production gives the identity a specific regional basis.
For readers and whiskey buyers, the recognition is a signal of growing visibility, not an independent measure of sales or product quality. The reported visitor count and interest in limited releases offer evidence of audience engagement, but the source does not provide revenue, market-share figures or award-selection criteria. The award matters as an industry acknowledgment of the company’s development and positioning, rather than proof of a particular commercial outcome.
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From Retirement Idea to Distillery
The company’s development unfolded alongside a larger expansion in American whiskey. VinePair cites federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau figures showing production rising from 190 proof gallons in 2012 to more than 350 million in 2024. Those figures describe the wider category, not Still Austin’s own production, and the report does not give the distillery’s output.
Starting a distillery in Texas also required a change in state law. The 2013 measure permitting direct sales and on-site tastings helped make the Seals family’s plan more practical. After the facility opened in 2014, the company’s first distilling followed in 2017; whiskey then needed time to mature before it could be sold as aged spirits. VinePair frames that long development as central to the company’s award recognition.
Chris Seals has described the brand’s aims in human terms: making people feel seen and free to express themselves. The report connects those goals to Burckhardt’s labels and to the distillery’s role as a gathering place, rather than treating its creative identity as separate from the whiskey business.
““It takes time. It does take time.””
— Chris Seals, Still Austin CEO, as quoted by VinePair
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Award Criteria and Business Figures
VinePair’s report names Still Austin as the award recipient but does not explain the selection criteria, identify other candidates or describe the judging process. It also does not provide company sales, revenue, production volumes or year-over-year growth, so the award cannot by itself establish how quickly the business is expanding commercially.
The figure of about 100,000 visitors is attributed to the distillery’s attendance last year, but the report does not specify the counting method or distinguish repeat visits from unique visitors. The source also gives no information about plans tied to the award, such as new products, distribution changes or expansion.
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The Distillery’s Next Chapter
The award report does not announce a specific next milestone for Still Austin. The company’s established activities include producing its core bourbon and rye, hosting visitors and live music, and releasing limited or one-off whiskeys, including Blue and Red Corn Bourbons, according to VinePair. Its releases labeled “Nancy’s Pick” have also drawn interest from whiskey enthusiasts, the report says.
Further details on the award’s judging, Still Austin’s business performance and any future expansion have not been provided in the source. Readers can expect the company’s next product or event announcements to clarify whether the recognition will accompany changes to its lineup or visitor programming; no such changes are confirmed in the report.
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Key Questions
What award did Still Austin Whiskey Co. receive?
VinePair named the Austin distillery Rising Drinks Brand of the Year in its 2026 Next Wave Awards.
Where is Still Austin Whiskey Co. based?
The company is based in Austin, Texas. Its facility is in the city’s St. Elmo neighborhood, where it also hosts visitors and live music events.
What makes Still Austin’s whiskey Texas-specific?
VinePair reports that the company uses Texas-grown grain and produces and ages its whiskey in Texas. Its bourbon uses white corn, while its straight rye uses 100 percent Brasetto rye.
How many people visited the distillery?
VinePair reports about 100,000 visitors last year. The report does not specify the counting method or say how many were repeat visitors.
Did VinePair explain how it chose the award winner?
The report names Still Austin as the recipient but does not provide the award’s judging criteria or selection process.
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