Thank you, Treaty Oak Distilling for inviting me out to your distillery! I loved touring your complex, tasting your cocktails, and viewing the new branding. It was a VIP experience for sure. As always, all opinions are my own.
Treaty Oak Distilling is more than just a bar or a place to tour. It’s a destination. You can easily spend an afternoon here: park in the large dirt lot, drink some unique gin and whiskey cocktails in their Cocktail Lab, eat a delicious meal at Ghost Hill Restaurant, tour the facilities to see how it all gets made, and then hang out at the large covered Rickhouse Bar or at the picnic tables by the children’s play area. All while taking in the beautiful hill country views.
When we arrived we were greeted by Treaty Oak’s Nate and Mary in the Cocktail Lab. Bartender Brandon hooked us up with a variety of Waterloo gin drinks. I tried the Martinez (Waterloo Antique Gin, sweet vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and orange bitters) and the Yaupon Collins (Old Yaupon Gin, lemon, sugar, sparkling water). The Martinez will knock you on heels and the Yaupon Collins is a fun, carbonated drink. I loved the inside decor – especially the juniper bonsai!
Treaty Oak Distilling is a craft distillery that really cares about what they’re doing beyond the end product they are creating. They’re a unique group of people working together for a common goal. Treaty Oak works to understand how things were done historically and creates new products with that history in mind. They want to be disruptive in the market, but also be ever-conscious of the history behind the spirits they’re working with. What allows us to be creative? they asked, Gins and whiskeys.
Most people know their products, but not the distillery behind them. People know Waterloo Gin, but not “Treaty Oak.” Their rebranding is a modernization of the brand – they’re not just a Texas spirit. They have a new logo and bottle design to go along with their new, growing market. The paintbrush looking strokes on the front of their bottles are all different, yet are similar enough to work together as a coherent design. On the back of the gin bottles are live oak leaves mixed with juniper branches, reminding us of the craft of distilling gin. They mainly focused on their gin rebranding, but their whiskey bottle has also been redone. The bottom has been dipped in paint, again, matching the gin bottles paintbrush effect.
The logo is new as well: a pitched roof paired with the curve of the hill country, dotted with the setting sun, resembling a scale. It’s a balance – respect for history balanced with being disruptive in the market. Some of the botanicals in their gin include juniper, grapefruit, and pecan (which helps calm the alcohol burn).
After sampling in the Cocktail Lab and hearing all about the mission and rebranding of Treaty Oak, we tried some of the Ghost Hill Restaurant food. I was SUPER impressed. We had a BBQ sampler with pancetta with duck meat, beef belly BLT, summer ham, dill quick bread and rosemary sweet corn cake. It was all SO good. I was especially surprised by the dill quick bread. I ate more of that than anything else, to be honest.
Their meats are locally sourced from farms within 100 miles of the restaurant. They even hired a sustainability rep to try and get Treat Oak to a net zero state, so the amount of energy that’s produced on site is equal to the amount of energy used. A very ambitious, admirable goal. These are the kinds of things people need to know about Treaty Oak!
Video is vertical because it was a part of my Instagram stories at @discoveringATX
We were next set up with a drink from their Rickhouse Bar and then we got a tour of the facilities. I tried their Watermelon Ricky (gin, fresh watermelon juice, lime juice, and mint-infused syrup) and Brian had an Old Fashioned. Again, both were simply delicious.
Treaty Oak a craft distillery, so you won’t find any enormous stills here. Just good, high-quality product. They’re currently working on an aged rum. It’s one of the oldest around! It’s been aged 6 years.
Our tour concluded at the Rickhouse Bar. Cocktails on tap are flowing while people hang out in their large, covered space.
I want to end with a MEGA thank you to Treaty Oak Distilling. The people we encountered while walking around were all extremely knowledgeable, caring, and loaded us down with free Treaty Oak gin (which I’ve been drinking ever since). They have a real family vibe, while also trying to push the limits on gin and whiskey creation. I’d encourage you to visit, hang out, take a tour, and check out their products. Treaty Oak is so much more than Waterloo Gin!
Take a walk through our production facility while your guide provides insight into how our beers and spirits are made. Plenty of science, hands-on explanation and a spirit tasting are included, as well as an opportunity for Q&A.
Duration: 45 minutes
Ticket Price: $15
Times: Saturday – 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm
Location: Treaty Oak Distilling Ranch
Address: 16604 Fitzhugh Road, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
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