Whiskey is more than just a drink; in fact, the word “whiskey” derives from the Gaelic phrase uisge beatha, meaning “water of life.” In today’s podcast episode, NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with Jared Himstedt and Gabe RiCharde of Balcones Distilling to discuss the duo’s philosophy on crafting fine whiskey in Waco, Texas.
Founded in 2008, Balcones Distilling lives inside what was once an old welding shop in Waco. After extensive renovations, Jared and Gabe installed the copper pot stills that give their whiskey its smooth and sumptuous taste. In the grand tradition of Old World whiskey naming conventions, they dubbed their distillery “Balcones” after a prominent geological feature—the nearby Balcones Fault Zone. In the distillery’s early days, they sourced water from the Texas Hill Country Spring, located on the famous fault.
Today, Balcones Whisky is crafted with a unique balance of tradition and innovation. The distillery is committed to capturing and preserving the distinct flavor profiles of ingredients like New Mexican blue corn and Texas-grown malted barley. As the creative director, product developer, and head blender, Jared oversees label design and barrel selection. Gabe, the spirits’ manager, ensures quality during their whiskies' maturation and blending lifecycles. This harmonious blend of tradition and innovation results in a whiskey that is bold, flavorful, and distinctly Texan.
Whether you’re a whiskey aficionado or a curious newcomer, today’s episode provides deeper insight into the passion and craftsmanship that goes into every bottle of Balcones Whisky.
Key Points From This Episode:
- What “Balcones” means and how it’s relevant to Texas and Balcones Distilling
- Challenges that come with high standards and keeping a business local
- How Jared and Gabe use raw ingredients as tools for artistic expression
- Where Balcones falls on the spectrum between tradition, rebellion, and innovation
- The significance of Texas to Balcones Distilling and the American Single Malt Movement
- Product development at Balcones and their sometimes surprising sources of inspiration
- Why artists shouldn’t rely on critical acclaim, external validation, or market feedback
- Insight into Gabe’s journey from geologist to spirits manager at Balcones
- Jared’s deeply personal path from ceramicist and social worker to whiskey distiller
- Why Balcones works with artists to support the visual arts
Quotes:
“There is an opportunity to both support local farming and economy, but also delve into the more esoteric [and] abstract; what is the personality and flavor of a place?” — Jared Himstedt [0:16:36]
“The idea of following tradition because you're supposed to and the idea of smashing it because it's tradition are equally uninteresting.” — Jared Himstedt [0:19:54]
“We take a page out of the book of people who came before us, but we are absolutely writing in the margins and doing the work to move things forward for Texas whiskey, for Texas single malt.” — Gabe RiCharde [0:25:56]
“Instead of attaching ourselves to the tropes of Texas, [it’s] more like, ‘We can expect this to be a full-bodied, rich, spicy, fruity, single malt,’ and have that mean something when people are starting to get a sense of the regionality within the [American Single Malt Movement].” — Gabe RiCharde [0:35:31]
“All the scars and bruises are personal. There are stories there. Even some of the weird idiosyncrasies that seem wacky [and out there] to people—those were hard-fought-for changes.” — Jared Himstedt [0:57:07]
“You get a bunch of distillers or whiskey makers together, and we can talk about the zeros, and ones, and the ‘how’ ‘til we're blue in the face. But with artists, we really get to talk about the ‘why.’” — Gabe RiCharde [1:01:13]
Longer Quotes:
“Our work doesn't come from a place of rebellion. But when your art form is embedded in manufacturing or embedded in a market, doing the work looks like rebellion. Doing the work and forging your own path looks like, ‘Whoa! You're so innovative.’ It's not innovative for innovation's sake. It's innovative just to do the work. Someone has to do it. Someone has to do the [due diligence] of figuring out how we're going to do beautiful, elegant, expressive Texas single malts. That looks like rebellion or that looks like something very different and maverick to a lot of people, but really, internally, it's just [that] we've chosen to do this. We're going to do the work. We're going to ask ourselves the hard questions and spend our careers – cutting our teeth and figuring this out for a culture and an industry.” — Gabe RiCharde [0:23:35]
“You don't have to get signed to get your music out there. You don't have to get accepted into a show to have a gallery showing. There's a fucking wall right there, and you’ve got spray paint in your backpack. Let's go. There's a little bit of that—it’s the gatekeeping, right? It's the authority. Who gets to do this? Who doesn't? We're just in this era of, ‘Fuck that. I've got stuff to say. I’ve got stuff I want to do. I'm not going to wait. I'm not going to sit around waiting for permission.’ I think that's really cool.” — Jared Himstedt [1:04:46]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Balcones Distilling — https://www.balconesdistilling.com/
Balcones Distilling on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/balconeswaco/
Jared Himstedt on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-himstedt-688b51b0/
Gabe RiCharde on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielricharde/
Gabe RiCharde on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/g.richarde/
The Other Art Fair — https://www.theotherartfair.com/
NOT REAL ART — https://www.notrealart.com/
NOT REAL ART Grant — https://notrealart.com/grant/
First Friday Exhibitions — https://notrealart.com/exhibitions/
Remote Video Series – https://notrealart.com/remote-exploring-public-art/
NOT REAL ART Hotline — 833-668-7325