One of the most intimidating aspects of attending a whisky tasting as a novice is feeling like you’re doing everything ‘wrong’ — from swirling to nosing to sharing (out loud) any tasting notes. Even the most knowledgeable whisky whiz doesn’t know everything. Therein lies the inspiration behind Crowded Barrel Whiskey Co, an Austin, Texas-based distillery making award-winning crowdfunded whiskeys and involving its community in every decision. Since opening in August 2018, the distillery has become a whisky haven for locals and out-of-state tourists. Its co-founders Rex Williams and Daniel Whittington have mastered making people feel an emotion sometimes amiss in whisky: fun.
“When I got into whisky, it felt like there were two worlds: either you didn’t know much about whisky, or you were so obsessive and kind of a jerk about it. Sometimes, I felt like an outlier like, ‘I like whisky, but I don’t like it as much as some of these guys.’ Then, on the other end, it was like, ‘I like it way more than people who don’t want to sit there talking about whisky,’” says Whittington. “And we helped create this meeting place for people who were neither. They knew a
