It was so good, we walked out of there with two bottles, their Kooper Family rye (our very…read morefavorite) and their Sweetheart if the Rodeo bourbon (90 proof blended bourbon whiskey). Both are quite drinkable neat. But we also had fun making old fashioneds with both, as well. At just $45 a bottle, it's a heck of a deal. So much better than most is the $50 to $80 whiskeys we buy. Plus, as an added bonus, the Kooper family is very hospitable, informative, fun to hang out with at the bar, and they offer nice tastings at a great price ($16 for three pours), which allows you to determine which bottle is your favorite. You can't get that experience or that level of service at any liquor store! If you find yourself within an hour of this place, you need to visit! While you're in town, checkout the big antique store in Giddiness and have lunch or dinner at Los Patrones. Giddings will soon become one of your favorite towns.

I've pasted Koopers a few times and this time I thought I would stop…read more Super nice decor - nice place to hangout. But on to the whisky's. At 11:30 am on a Tuesday, I had the place to myself. The young lady behind the bar was super nice and let me sample a few offerings. I settled in The Prodigal Son. Smooth, not too peppery. Nice sipper. Once I got home, I poured me a bigger taste. Very good and added a few pieces of Sonic ice and that was it. Good pour.

Best Cigar Lounge Experience - A Must-Visit!…read more I've been to cigar lounges all over the country, but C&S Cigar Lounge stands out as one of the best! From the moment you walk in, you're welcomed like family--whether you're a regular or a first-time visitor. The atmosphere is warm, laid-back, and just the right mix of upscale and inviting. Their signature cocktails are on another level. The peach cobbler whiskey sour is a game-changer, and if you haven't tried the watermelon moonshine from Copper Shot Distillery, you're missing out! Pair that with their impressive cigar selection, and you've got the perfect night. Live music nights? Unbeatable. Great bands, good vibes, and a crowd that knows how to enjoy the moment. The owner and staff go above and beyond to make sure everyone has a top-tier experience. I've found my cigar lounge, and if you're in the area--or even passing through--C&S is a must-visit.

This is one of my favorite hidden gems in Bastrop. The staff and owner are amazing and…read moreknowledgeable, so don't worry if you aren't a cigar expert! They provide great recommendations and a wonderful experience. The prohibition- style bar is quaint and some amazing, hand crafted cocktails are created back there! The ambiance is relaxing and cozy, and it connects to a distillery up front with live music! Win, win all around!

Met up with a friend for happy hour. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by the bartender,…read moreKyle. He told me about the happy hour specials and also informed me that it was free pool night (on Mondays). I'm not a huge fan of whiskey, but I've found that whiskey bars tend to have amazing craft cocktails. I browsed the HH menu and noticed a Whiskey Sour. I actually like a Clarified Whiskey Sour and was curious to see how it compared. The Whiskey Sour wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the Clarified Sour that I've had at Reserve 101 in Houston. Kyle told me they're working on some clarified cocktails. I also ordered a Boulevardier (which isn't on the HH menu). Kyle admitted that he had never made one. He quickly looked up the ingredients and made one for me and it wasn't bad! I've only had this cocktail one other time before so I didn't have much to compare it to, but I did enjoy it. They have a small cigar menu. Cigars can be smoked outside on the patio (which is shared with Las Perlas and Caña Rum Bar). I liked the laid back feel between the pool tables and the rustic decor (it felt like I was in a lodge). Though I'm not a big whiskey drinker, I did enjoy the cocktails as well as the ambiance.

If you are a whiskey drinker, you will find a fine collection of bottles here…read more Or rather - you will find a very very fine collection of scotches here. There are some highly interesting bourbons as well. The selection of ryes is thin. If you read Whiskey Advocate (which I have been known to do), the rye curating will give you no thrills. The selection of Irish is thin as well - but no blame on that point. The population of upscale Irishes is just not that large, once you pass some over-rated cliches like Redbreast. * * * Seven Grand however is not an abstract name. That is how much you will pay in order to drink here. The prices for two ounces of many of those beverages will make the eyes pop out of your head sideways and go running out the front door. In more than a few cases, two drinks here will cost you close to what you would pay for a full bottle purchased at a liquor store. Now to be sure - bar drinking is expensive. That kind of percentage markup is not unheard of in the industry. But when you move up the price range for the raw material, The absolute amount of money you are overpaying to have that drink goes up astronomically. I will pay big for a peak experience I will remember for the rest of my life. (See my review of Craft Omakase.) I will not pay big for a random experiment with a bottle that could be wonderful and could be overrated. It is more economical to just buy the bottle. If the experiment works, I get a free month of legendary drinking. To my mind, bottle testing at Seven Grand just doesn't make sense.

We went here before the second graduation this year from A&M and the whole family toasted the new…read moregrads... My nephew graduated on Thursday and his soon-to-be wife graduated on Friday. It was really nice place to get a good drink, but if you're having a conversation very hard to have one there because of the high ceilings and all the metal it causes a lot of echoing. But the Service is the bartender of the waitress, lovely people.

I recently visited College Station for a History Conference at Texas A&M. I stayed at The George…read moreHotel and they had a bar past the front desk. I tried a couple of drinks out in the 2 days. I tried the Sour Hour and the Famous 1791 Old Fashion. The Sour Hour drink was recommended by the male bartender that was working on Thursday night. He was very knowledgeable and kind. It wasn't too strong, great ratio from alcohol to juices. I will get that again. On Friday night, I went down to the bar again to try another drink. This time, I can't leave College Station without trying the 1791 Old Fashioned. All I can say is this particular drink is in my top 3 hands down and I had many old fashions in my time working at my current job (on my day offs, of course). They put a teaspoon of brown sugar to tone down the strength of the Whiskey (Buffalo Trace) but not for the Whiskey to lose it's purpose. I will most certainly get it again. They also have a food menu just in case you want to order something to eat. Next time I'm in College Station and staying at The George Hotel, I'm coming back. Good job everyone that worked, this past Thursday and Friday night.

On this past Saturday, My friend celebrated…read morethe second part of her 50th Birthday Sparking-chic at Whiskey River West location. We arrived in a nice luxury party bus. When we got off the party bus they offered us a one complimentary drink ,and one free bull ride card. So of course, everyone was excited to get on the dance floor. Also, they had two DJ's one inside and also on the back patio outside too. We definitely had an amazing time. I can't wait to try out the other locations too!

As a regular, I have to say I am genuinely disappointed with the new patio DJ. DJ Kaos's rude and…read moredisrespectful attitude when I asked if he could play a popular country line dance--one many of us in the dance community were looking forward to --really dampened the experience. It truly justifies why many of the line dancers are moving and spreading to other Houston country bars!

This place has a giant selection of whiskey, including rotating versions for their old fashioned…read more This weekend's had a fig infused whiskey. I drank two and forgot to take photos! They also serve delicious panini sandwiches! I've tried 3 so far: korean beef, chicken bacon ranch, and the muffuletta. Plus they serve other drinks, too, not just whiskey. I remembered a photo for the Lychee Martini. Additionally, the bar area is 21+only and has vintage games, pool tables and darts among others.

We went to the Rough Draught whiskey bar the night before a football game. This is a really cool…read moreplace with an INCREDIBLE whiskey list. We had been drinking beer, so I stuck to beer except for an old fashioned (which was excellent and used Buffalo Trace). They also have an awesome selection of draft beers. I had a Live Oak Hefeweizen which was excellent. Service was excellent both at the restaurant and the attached pizza area. Since we had been drinking a while, we decided to have pizza at the shop attached to the bar. They have a nice pizza oven and this was excellent. I forget the name, but it has a nice thin crust with great cheese and topped with sausage and mushrooms. It really hit the spot Definitely worth a visit, distinct from many of the other bars around.

This place is just about perfect. Ambiance, awesome staff, good mix of seating - including patio -…read moreand LOTS AND LOTS OF WHISKEY. Whiskey is my hobby. Specifically American whiskey. I'm not often as impressed as I am by Rough Draught. Awesome, awesome selection. Good people who enjoy talking whiskey. The interior and decoration and walls - it all just GOES. It's perfect. Sadly they were out of a key ingredient or two to make pizza when we were there - during Thanksgiving week, so... not "normal" timing - so we sadly could not try their pizza. But we enjoyed multiple great pours, some good cocktails, great conversation, and exploring all of the details in the decor. A staple for any visit I'll be making to College Station and Aggieland.

Laid back, warm atmosphere, staff are friendly, drinks are good. Limited parking right in front but…read morethere is a parking lot nearby.

For those in the back, this is a bourbon themed bar. They have a great variety of domestic and…read moreforeign bourbons. Whiskey is also available. Brea and G-Reg were very engaging. They both made excellent drinks. I guess this used to be a feed store. They've added industrial lighting and lounge style furniture. I really like this place. Five stars.

We have been trying to come here for a couple years now. We finally made it! We only had about 45…read moreminutes to hang out before they closed but it was a great time. This is a unique venue in that it's a bit off the beaten path near driftwood, up in a hilly area. GPS guided us there just fine. The distillery is attached to a church and wedding venue, and the wizard academy (which our friend attended for his whiskey sommelier certification). I think the distillery is their own separate business and entity but the property all seems like one thing. The bartender said crowded barrel isn't run or connected to the wizard academy but they are friendly given the shared love of whiskey. At the whiskey academy, so somewhere on the property, is the wizard's whiskey vault. Now that's a room I'd like to get into. But, I'm not trying to be a whiskey Somme, so I'll likely never see it in person. We had a few cocktails and couple of straight pours. If we had come earlier in the day, I would have done a flight in addition, to get more tastes. Come with at least an hour to spend here. I enjoyed the Anejo agave (tequila) spirit and we bought a bottle of the Snake Wood Whiskey. This is a fun and uniquely flavored whiskey. It's a bourbon finished with Brazilian Amburana Oak which lends an interesting cinnamon like taste. But it's not cinnamon, it's like reminiscent of baking spices. Very tasty. The staff were friendly and happy to chat about whiskey. We enjoyed our time there, wish we had been able to spend just a little bit longer but such is life :)

Great people, great spirits, great times! Worth the visit, spend a whole day! If just for a chill…read moreday, or a major event like a wedding!

Found a really cute spot tucked away in Round Top…read more You walk in through this green courtyard with fire pits and chairs and it kind of forces you to slow down for a second before going inside which I actually loved. Just felt calm right away. Inside is super open with really tall ceilings. There's a small bar upstairs they call a speakeasy... it's not really hidden since you can see it from downstairs, but it's still a nice little vibe. Drinks were really good too. They stay pretty busy, but service didn't miss a beat. Food came out looking good and actually tasted just as good. Always a win. Only thing is when it gets packed, it does get pretty loud, especially upstairs at the bar. So just something to keep in mind depending on the vibe you're going for. And honestly, the fire pits outside were probably my favorite part. Perfect spot to sit and hang out for a bit. If you're in Round Top, it's definitely worth checking out.

We ate here 3 days in a row, and every time it was perfect. Super consistent…read more Fantastic food, fantastic drinks. Food came out very effeciently and cooked perfectly. Only place we will eat lunch!!