The More You Know: Certified Texas Whiskey

Walk into any liquor store in Texas and you'll see it.

Bottles with Texas on the label. Texas flags. Texas stars. Texas maps. Texas pride.

And that's a good thing. Texans should be proud of what we've built.

But here's something many whiskey drinkers don't know:

Just because a bottle says "Texas" doesn't necessarily mean the whiskey inside was distilled in Texas.

As Texas whiskey grew in popularity, consumers began seeing more bottles decorated with Texas imagery, Texas branding, and Texas stories. For many shoppers, it became difficult to know exactly what "Texas whiskey" meant from one bottle to the next.

That's where Certified Texas Whiskey comes in.

Created and administered by the Texas Whiskey Association, the Certified Texas Whiskey program provides a clear and consistent standard for consumers.

The certification isn't tied to a particular style of whiskey. Whether it's bourbon, rye, single malt, wheat whiskey, or corn whiskey, the standards remain the same. If it qualifies as Certified Texas Whiskey, it can carry the shield.

The program also doesn't mean every bottle produced by a participating distillery will carry the shield.

Many Texas distilleries make Certified Texas Whiskey while also creating blends and other products that incorporate whiskey made outside of Texas. Those bottles serve a different purpose and tell a different story.

The shield simply helps consumers understand which bottles meet the Certified Texas Whiskey standard.

The next time you're standing in the whiskey aisle, take a moment and look for it.

You might spot it right away. You might have to turn the bottle over and read the back label.

There it is.

The shield.

A small mark that carries a big meaning.

Not because it changes what's in the bottle, but because it answers a question many consumers don't realize they're asking:

Where was this whiskey actually made?

Consumers shouldn't need a law degree and a magnifying glass to figure out where a whiskey was made.

The Certified Texas Whiskey shield doesn't tell you whether you'll love a whiskey.

Taste is personal.

It doesn't rank distilleries. It doesn't determine quality. It doesn't tell you which bottle is best.

What it does tell you is that the whiskey was mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled in Texas.

When you see the shield, the question has already been answered for you.

So the next time you're looking for something new, local, and authentically Texan, keep an eye out for the shield.

The more you know.