Profile
The Distiller's Hand
Marcus Webb·July 14, 2024A portrait of the woman who makes the most sought-after single barrel in Texas.
Elena Vasquez does not taste her bourbon. She listens to it. "Every barrel has a voice," she says, holding a thief over a 53-gallon white oak barrel in the rickhouse outside Fredericksburg. "You learn to hear what it needs."
The Weekly Pour
One Email, Every Friday.
The best pour of the week, delivered to your inbox.
Written by
Marcus Webb
Marcus has spent a decade chasing the perfect pour across 40 states. Former bar director at The Monarch, Houston.
@marcuswebbContinue Reading
Speakeasy Guide
Houston's Hidden Pours
Twelve rooms you need a password to enter, and the bourbon that makes them worth the trouble.
The Craft
Ice as Ingredient
Why the best bartenders in the world treat ice with the same reverence as the spirit itself.
Editorial
The Bourbon Belt
A road trip through the distilleries redefining American whiskey, one barrel at a time.