William Price
Liked
Tasting room, flight options, food truck partnerships
Lacked
Their own, in-house distilled whiskey (they source from others in Texas and finish in barrels on site)
Loved
Personal time the staff spends with patrons, coupled with unique events. Plan for extra long visits and conversation!
Raising Texan Spirits
Back in June 2022 we got an email for another bottle release in Houston. The distillery was William Price, the bottle was a single barrel bourbon-finshed rye, and the location was the popular Garden Oaks area of Houston known for breweries, food spots, and millennial charm (yes, there is such a thing). The Texas Whiskey Trail hadn't steered us wrong yet, and we are suckers for a good rye. We reserved our bottle and prepped for a Saturday trip.
William Price Distilling opened in 2020, eight years after co-founders and college roommates Bryan and Zack started working on the idea for an experience-forward Texas distillery. One of their initial releases was hand sanitizer, and the community came out strong to stock up on free offerings when stores were sold out during the earlier days of the pandemic. Over time their hand sanitizers were further refined and made available for purchase while several spirits began to develop behind the scenes (one of the initial spirits was a navy strength gin that won Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition). William Price began constructing a modern tasting room to front their distillery in parallel, decking it out with TVs, lights, and picnic tables out front for the walking crowd. The tasting room officially opened in 2021, and has continued to evolve through 2022 (the upgraded air conditioning is fantastic).
The passion to grow into a thriving local business is evident, and Bryan is often on site talking to patrons, hosting events, and/or drumming up social media hype. We’ve also been lucky enough to meet Dr. Toni Hardisty - the head distiller - and enjoyed our time talking with her about her gin making process. One day we even hope to meet Zack and complete our William Price bingo card.
First Impressions
The road to William Price was under construction during our first visit, and getting there was sketchy. Once safely into the parking lot we almost ran over a jovial group of rugby players who were grilling, drinking, and playing yard games in the side yard. We didn’t find out until later that they had rented the back for a private event, and that Bryan and Zack are both rugby players to boot. That first day we learned as much about rugby as we did about the distillery, which was quite a bit.
There is a shockingly different level of light inside the tasting room vs. outside of it, and once our eyes adjusted we were pleasantly surprised by the amenities and decor. After a quick greeting from one of the bartenders we settled on whiskey flights with the coffee liqueur add-on and grabbed an empty table inside where we could take in the place and talk spirits. Our bartender brought us water droppers for the tasting and pointed out the free water station on the side of the bar before leaving us to discuss the various ryes. After about thirty minutes another employee walked out of the back and asked us what we liked so far. We confided that the rye tasted like another one from Texas, and he confirmed it - the Texas rye is sourced from another distillery in the state and further aged on site (it might have been a test, we’ll never be sure). Before we knew it we were four additional samples in and on a private tour of the distillery, resident distillery cats in tow.
Having done no prep work before showing up meant that we didn’t yet know that this was Bryan, one of the owners and founders! We learned about the coffee liqueur process, the giant still from Scotland that will one day be in production, and where the whiskeys are being sourced from (both those in and out of Texas). On our most recent visit we did a private tour with Dr. Hardisty, who as head distiller gave us additional insights into the gin making process and some of the unique experiences that William Price offers. Other times we have just sat at the bar and talked with the bartenders, all of whom are fantastic and worth spending some time with.
Back in June, Bryan loaded us up with bags of free popcorn before we stumbled across the street to the Burger Daddy HTX food truck - several days a week William Price hosts a truck, but at that particular day and time they recommended one that was walking distance on the same street. On subsequent visits we enjoyed Sunday brunch with the Creacion food truck and steaks from Fusion Confusion on Wheels. Food is allowed inside the tasting room and outside at the tables - ask the bartenders for drink pairings and they’ll make it happen. One afternoon Jose (one of our favorite bartenders) even took some of the leftover compote from Creacion’s french toast and mixed it with the frozen drink special for a holy original concoction. Talk about a bespoke cocktail experience!
Lasting Memories
There are three things that come to mind when we recommend William Price to others - the great times we have with the staff, the ever-changing drink options, and the varied experiences offered by the distillery itself. After a private tour, meeting the head distiller, cocktail class, steak night, Sunday brunch, and a bottle release we have only done about 10% of the things that the distillery offers. Seriously, between their packed slate of upcoming events and their premium, bespoke experiences that we can’t (yet!) afford we will probably never be able to do it all. There is something for everyone at William Price as long as you’re looking to engage with others and create memories of your own. Let us know if you get to meet Zack!
Zack and Bryan settled on the name “William Price” to honor a 4th great-grandfather of Bryan’s - the first in his family to move to Texas - but they are positioning themselves as a distillery for a younger generation of Texans, one that they have expressed is overlooked. That lines up well with the distillery’s location in the city of Houston, our perceived age of their staff, and the majority of the clientele we have encountered. We recently came in for a Halloween cocktail class with Taylor, and everyone else attending was a millennial couple that lived within a few miles at most, so William Price clearly knows the target demographic. This is not by any means a way to deter other generations - rest assured that William Price can (and should) be enjoyed by all. You don’t need to be a whiskey expert (or even a whiskey drinker) to enjoy frequent visits, and with time we hope that the tasting room will be as consistently crowded as the bars and restaurants that saturate the area. With service and experiences this good, we will definitely continue doing our part to help make it a reality. Thanks to David, Jose, Taylor, and the rest of the bar staff for the great recommendations and conversations!
Summary
William Price keeps crafting new reasons for us to visit, and we keep showing back up for them. Take the time to visit the tasting room and enjoy some drinks, and if you like it as much as we do then come back for what is arguably the most varied set of experiences in the area. The food trucks are damn good, too.
Our Stats
First Visit: June 2022
Visit Count: 21
Tours Taken: 4
Spirits Sampled: 25+, we’ve lost count
Favorite Spirit: Straight Rye finished in French Oak (single barrel pick)
