This has to be one of the best-kept secrets in Fort Worth. Really, it is not a secret, they just decided to concentrate more on making great spirits than on advertising. Acre Distilling has a great and multiple award winning line up of spirits. We could tell this from checking out the website (acredistilling.com), which of course you should do. What we did not know was the unique story that went along with it. Again from the website we knew it was named after Hell’s Half Acre which lent itself to a tie in to some of the colorful characters that walked around this part of Fort Worth. This is just a portion of the story. You can hear the story in Tony’s own words in the Bonus Episode: Acre Distilling. You can not only do tastings here, but there is a full bar called Hell’s Half Acre Bar. The spirits are all made in house by Head Distiller JB Flowers and Distiller Brad Bervens. It can all be served to you by their classically trained Bar Tenders.
While waiting for the tasting to start, we met and talked with some very nice folks, a mother who lives locally, her daughter who lives in D.C. and her son who lives in New York. Darrell and I are glad they decided to take the tour. They were fabulous to hang out with before, during and after the tour. Everyone in the tour had a good time and enjoyed it, but I wanted to give a special shout out to these three great folks.
I am a coffee drinker, so I was pleased to find that they partner with Avoca Coffee Roasters for coffee or cappuccinos. Not only am I a black coffee fan, but coffee acts as a palate cleanser. Since we were sampling a variety of flavors, I carried a cup with me to sip upon. The coffee had a nice flavor with little bit of a bite on the back end which dissipated quickly. I really enjoyed the coffee.
From the parking lot entrance around to the bar, the distillery is surrounded by glass, which gives a great view of everything inside. There was a tasting table setup with liquor, glasses, water, ginger beer, and other extras. Our tasting guide was fun and full of information. During his talk we heard about the history behind the name Acre, which comes from Hell’s Half Acre. There is a picture next to the bar of Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and the gang. Tony, the owner, told us about the history of the picture as well. You can hear that story on the Bonus Podcast.
We tasted the spirits one by one. Talked about them and the awards which were won. Everyone talked about what they liked. The atmosphere was fun, the picnic table seating was excellent for the tasting, and the guide was a great.
Here is what we sampled:
- Whiskey
- Texas Single Malt Whisky
- Took Silver at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
- Longhair Jim Straight Bourbon Whisky
- Texas Jack Peach Whisky
- Cinnamon Girl Whisky
- Bronze at the 2017 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition
- Texas Single Malt Whisky
- Gin
- Two Minnies Gin
- Double Gold at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
- Silver at the 2016 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition
- Meander Wooded Gin
- Silver at the 2016 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition
- Two Minnies Gin
- Vodka
- Black Halo Vodka
- Peach Dream Ginger Peach Tea Vodka
- Bronze at the 2016 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition
- Miss Addie’s Blackberry Sage Tea Vodka
- Rum
- Hell’s Half Acre Rum
- Cello’s
- Lemon Bomb Limoncello
- Orange Burst Orangecello
Of these they were all good. My favorites included the Longhair Jim Bourbon, Texas Single Malt, Two Minnies Gin, and the Orange Burst Orangecello. After the tasting you get 15% off up to two bottles. I picked up the Two Minnies Gin and Orange Burst since I knew my wife would love them. Darrell picked up the Longhair Jim Bourbon and Texas Single Malt
There were two big surprises for me. The first being that Acre produced a Rum. Rum is not something that you see a lot of Distilleries making. It was a pleasant surprise. The next one was the Gin. I don’t really care for Gin, but the Two Minnies Gin was really good. My wife is going to really enjoy this.
A quick word about Gin. My wife was is of the opinion that there might be a resurgence of Gin based drinks. After all we are approaching the 100 year mark since the roaring twenties. With Gin this good, that could very well be the case.
After the tasting we meet Tony and began the interview. He has good stories to tell and he is a fascinating and great guy. The interview took place on Saturday afternoon on the porch. While we were conducting the interview, the Cowtown Cycle Party stopped by. So if you want to peddle your way around town you can check out the Cowtown Cycle Party and you will get a chance to Acres and sample the good spirits and that are available.
The day we interviewed Tony, Acre was closing early for an event. It is a great venue to hosting your party. If you want to do so, you can contact Acre Distilling Co. by email about your event and someone will be happy to get in touch with you.
The entire day there was fun all the way around. There is no reason not to stop by Acre Distilling. Go there. Take your family and friends. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and if you or someone you know plays piano, feel free to play.
