Acre Distillery

Sometimes the stars align just right, and you get to have an unexpected, private tasting with the owner of a distillery.  Such was the case with our visit to Acre Distilling Co. in Ft. Worth.  We caught them as they were preparing to reopen the place after the pandemic hiatus.  Tony graciously invited us in for a taste or two, and a wonderful conversation about the history of the Acre facility, and how he became a part of that.  

Acre got it's name from the area in downtown Ft. Worth where it is located.  Formerly known as Hell's Half Acre, it was the often visited red light district of the city, from the late 1860's until 1920.  Having visitors such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid make for some notorious stories held in the walls of this distillery.  The logo not only contains the A for Acre, but also two inverted V's.  Keeping true to the building's lore, those are for virtue and vice.  The interior transformation of the building to the distillery has become a beautiful industrial site.  The tasting room is held right in the middle of the stills and machinery, and there are numerous tables and a large bar surrounding that room.  And if you're lucky, Tony will tell you the story of how he hurt his arm climbing out of a big cardboard box...

The distillery offers an extensive flight list of vodka, gin, rum and whisky, as well as liqueurs and cocktails.  Because our visit was as a favor, we selected the Single Malt Whiskey, Bourbon, and the Cinnamon Whisky to finish.  

The Single Malt Whisky is bred from barley, grown and harvested from Hillsboro, malted in Ft. Worth, and distilled and aged at Acre.  The color is a rich amber, and the first whiff is a slightly sweet molasses.  After a slight warming, the aroma becomes a toasted pecan.  The first taste goes down smooth, with the subtle pecan flavor predominant.  At this tasting, we only tried it neat, which was seemingly the way to handle this one.  At 100 proof, it was smoother than predicted.  

The Longhair Jim Straight Bourbon is a new batch release.  It was originally sourced from Illinois, but this new release is Texan through and through.  We tasted both, and are glad the new release is ready.  It has a light golden color, and a slight oak aroma. After warming, it presents a strong banana aroma.  First taste is a full bodied flavor of the oak with a malty quality.  It sits thick on the tongue and has a good, smooth finish.  Adding a cube of ice didn't detract from the flavor or the finish.

The Cinnamon Girl is a dangerously easy drinker.  Excellent cinnamon flavor, with not a lot of burn.  Tony tells customers, "If you like Fireball, you'll love Cinnamon Girl.  And if you don't like Fireball, you will like Cinnamon Girl."  I would definitely agree.  Might consider that for your next holiday party.  

We had a great visit at Acre, and will be back to taste some house cocktails.  Because as they say around there, "Lord make us good, but not right now."

Cheers, y'all!

Single Malt Whiskey

Color:  Rich Amber

Aroma:  Molasses and then pecan

First Taste:  Smooth subtle pecan

Longhair Jim's Straight Bourbon

Color:  Light Golden

Aroma:  Slight oak and then banana

First Taste:  Smooth oak and malt

Over Ice:  Retained flavor and finish