Whiskey Hollow Distillery Honored by Gaylord Texan

It is the very first and only known legal, double thumper distillery in Texas. A double thumper is a proven, but very slow, early American distilling method known for producing a very smooth spirit. Very few distilleries in the U.S. are designed by their distiller and even less are constructed by the distiller.  After his day job for almost 2 years prior to any distilling, Les (now in his 60s) concentrated on designing and constructing his Double Thumper distillery from scratch. For him, it is all about the quality and flavor, not speed and profit. It was not uncommon for the local folks to drive by the old bank building on the square and see Les working or welding at the distillery at 2 or 3 am in the morning.

When Les was asked, “why not just order a still and have construction companies get you up and running quick”, his answer was simple, “I have a desire to make some of the finest whiskeys and spirits in the US. I wish to accomplish this goal mainly from my own still design, my recipes and efforts, not others.  I am very passionate about what I wish to do and truly love it.  Besides, anybody that is wishing to be called a Master Distiller, at minimum, must have built their own still and distillery, it’s the Moonshiners creed.”

Now in production, his passion for quality is still the key.  All Whiskey Hollow employees know he will destroy an entire run or flush a thousand gallons of fermenting mash if it does not taste or smell the way he wants it to. It’s a known fact several thousand gallons of mash have not been distilled simply because it did not smell right or was not of his desired quality.

On every run, only the best center part called ‘hearts’ is kept. He will not allow anything but the heart that is considered perfect for whisky. About 4 to 5% of a thousand gallons of mash when distilled makes his hearts cut. Les states, “I am, as well as most folks, tired of all the junk that has crept into our lives, so…. My philosophy is very simple, I do not want to make low quality spirits.”

“We welcome all to come see what we are doing. We are a distillery, not a honky-tonk, even though Willies Road House plays most of the time. At our distillery bar, we do have limits.  It’s also mandatory that status and titles are left at the door. What I see are people losing the stress of the day when they walk into our distillery.  We’re not stuck up.  We have fun.  We talk and laugh over a good whiskey or cocktail and enjoy a little bit of life when we can.  Watching good folks have some fun here always puts a smile on my face and warms my soul.”

Les and everyone at Whiskey Hollow wish to publicly thank the Gaylord Texan for this honor and their support of all Texas made spirits. “For you all at the Gaylord Texan, everybody knows you are much more than a first-class place.  I raise my glass and say Thanks again! for the honor bestowed on Valley View, Whiskey Hollow, and our Texas Gold Bourbon” – Les Beasley

To contact Les Beasley or learn more about Whiskey Hollow Distillery, you can contact them via their website.