After dropping my bags off in the room, we were off to our first destination, a tour of Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. (901 W. Vickery, Fort Worth, TX 76104). It’s about a 10-minute drive from the hotel and it’s the only artisanal bourbon distillery in North Texas. The founders, Leonard Firestone and Troy Robertson came together to create two distinct whiskey brands. The first, a premium blended whiskey, is artistically crafted with select whiskies sourced for their complexity and range of character. The second product, a straight bourbon whiskey, is produced with locally grown corn and wheat and a proprietary yeast strain isolated from a North Texas pecan nut. The latter bourbon is still being aged and will be ready in about a year. But given the North Texas climate, it should produce a bourbon whiskey of distinct provenance.
Tours take place every Saturday at 2pm. They cost $15 per person and there are up to 40 people in the group. It’s cool to see that almost the whole place is made with reclaimed wood and old pipes (look carefully). They personally can only sell two bottles per month to guests (they write down your name) but you can buy as much as you want from their distributors. Bottles cost $35 and the most interesting part for me (since I’m not a Bourbon drinker) is how they handcraft their unique corks with leather and each top in a case (6) is a different color. I can see why people collect the tops.
