Deep Eddy Vodka doesn’t give public tours of the distilling process at their new production facility in Buda, and that’s a shame.
The process of turning water into vodka is fascinating, although a little like watching paint dry. There is not a lot of action to see as the elixir goes through the process. It is fun to see the big shiny tanks and bottling equipment as the product goes from raw to finished. But you will have to take my word for it.
The 8-year-old distillery still has their tasting room on Highway 290 east of Dripping Springs, but outgrew the building’s production space in less than four years. By moving the company’s manufacturing to the new building, the tasting room can add more bar space and a live music stage to accommodate the weekend crowds.
From the outside, the tasting room looks like a modern office building among the explosive growth along the highway west of Austin. On the inside, it’s a comfortable bar with an expansive view of the hills and a covered patio. “We’re a flavored vodka store,” says bartender Ben Seay.
The Austin-based distillery makes six flavors of vodka. Seay says that the Ruby Red Vodka made from Texas grapefruit is the flavor that put the company on the spirits map and is by far the most popular. At the tasting room you can try a flight of flavors and a handcrafted cocktail.
The Deep Eddy Tasting Room is at 2250 Highway 290 E. outside of Dripping Springs. They are renovating an old still at the site for specialty brews. The room is open for cocktails and tastings Thursday through Sunday.
1,404th in a series. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
This article appears in June 22 • 2018.
