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Dear Brandon,

Your Nine Banded family continues to be amazed by the mark you are leaving on the fashion world.  You inspire so many, and the fact that you always think about others first is the mark of a true Texan.  Here In Austin, and at the University of Texas, they say “What Starts Here Changes The World.”  You are living that mantra daily, and we couldn’t be more proud to support you and the Fashion Scholarship Fund.  Our donation will be earmarked for University of Texas students so that they too have a chance to shine bright. 

Love you!

Nine Banded Whiskey

Our weekend at Viva Big Bend Music Festival was a huge success! The West Texas festival was held in Fort Davis, Alpine, Marfa, and Marathon and featured artists of all different sounds from throughout the state. 

The first stop was at Marfa’s Big Bend Coffee Roasters where we served up whiskies neat alongside Hi, How Are You? a Daniel Johnston exhibit and organization that strives to open up conversations about mental health.  We listened to Viva Big Bend artist Rainstorm Brother as we munched on home baked cookies and tacos. The local beer garden Planet Marfa was a blast we all two stepped to Texas music. After some traditional southern rock and roll we mosied over to Hotel Saint George’s pool to Erika Wennerstrom’s indie and psychedelic grooves to serenade us into the cool desert evening. 

Deep into the night we stopped at the Marfa Lights Observatory we witnessed the mystery lights dance and jitter across the horizon. There were no street lights to pollute the starry sky so we made wishes to the shooting stars as they streaked before our eyes. After our hour with the Marfa mystery lights we shot down the highway to Alpine where we continued to listen to good tunes of the festival. The night got very late so we spent the night at the famous Gage Hotel. 

On Saturday morning we drove back into Mafa and visited our friends at Cactus Liquors, the best liquor store in the town. After a friendly visit we hopped to Hotel Saint George and had a couple of drinks at the bar and at the pool. That night we had drinks with our friends at the Lost Horse and had the pleasure of two stepping to Doug Moreland’s cowboy blues. 

The Nine Banded Whiskey team had an absolutely grand ol’ time keeping it classically Texas with our friends in these towns. Without a doubt the team will be returning to this fine festival and bring the spirit of our whiskey alongside!

This upcoming month we’re going to have more fun all over Austin and elsewhere and we’d love for you to be a part of it. To keep up with where we are subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Instagram and Facebook! See you soon!

Cheers,

Nine Banded Whiskey

Father’s Day weekend was a blast for the Texas team at Nine Banded Whiskey. On Friday we trekked north to the Dell Diamond to watch the Round Rock Express Game as a family to watch our co-founder Chris Ogden throw out the first pitch (a bit high and a bit outside) . We all enjoyed hot dogs, specialty cocktails, and some good ole’ fun! Even though the home team lost it was still a great time had by all.

On Saturday we journeyed east to The Long Time watch our partners and friends the Texas Playboys won their game against The Sauce of New Orleans. The community came together to enjoy a classic American pastime with an Austin twist. The kids went for a cool swim, the dogs ran about, and the adults socialized with a Nine Banded Whiskey Old Fashioned. The next game is July 13th at the Long Time! Come around!

After the game ended that evening we celebrated Waylon Jennings’ birthday in the heart of Austin with our friends at Arlyn Studios where legends such as Willie Nelson, Les Paul, and Neil Young have recorded. This party was the second thrown by the Austin Originals which includes our partners’ Tito’s, Arlyn, Panacea, and ALL ATX – a local music charity organization. The night was filled with laughter, live music, and delicious drinks by Nine Banded Whiskey. One of our themed drinks was aptly named “A Man Called Hoss,” made with our whiskey, simple syrup, and orange bitters.

This upcoming month we’re going to have more fun all over Austin and elsewhere and we’d love for you to be a part of it. To keep up with where we are subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Love,

Nine Banded Whiskey

This upcoming month of June will be super exciting as temperatures rise and the summer kicks into high gear! We will be a proud sponsor of Austin’s Sound & Cinema series, where they open up the lawn of the Long Center and free film screening. For the latest on where to find us and join in on our adventures subscribe to our monthly newsletter, or connect with us on Instagram and Facebook!

May was an exciting month for Nine Banded Whiskey as we kicked off the summer with a myriad of events around our hometown and the country.

We celebrated World Whiskey Day on May 18 with a crawfish boil at Little Woodrow’s, our favorite Texas watering holes with locations scattered all around the state. It was a blast to see the community come together to eat good food and drink fine whiskey. We proudly topped off glasses neat and with the classic Old Fashioned.

On the last weekend of the month we participated in Austin’s Hot Luck with musicians and chefs from around the country. On Saturday we hung out at The Wild Onion Ranch making sweet cocktails! We featured our Night Roamer which had Chameleon Cold Brew and topped it off with the ever-trending oat milk. It was a nice twist to the usual coffee cocktail. The mixed drinks paired nicely with the diverse cuisines made by world-class chefs. At the end of the month we partnered with our good friends Foster ATX with Underground, Vol. II which featured talented local musicians Jesse Woods and Odessa. The artists performed touching pieces for a sold out show at Bar Peached. Even if you missed this show you can catch them at Continental Club doing a residency for the month of June every Saturday starting at 8pm.

The last weekend of April was the busiest that the city has experienced since the Austin City Limits Festival.  There was the Only-in-Austin Eeyore’s Birthday Party at Pease Park, the Austin Food & Wine Fest, and our backyard happy hour at the Nine Banded Whiskey HQ to name a few.

We hosted a happy hour with local online butcher start-up Rosso & Flynn and our office neighbors Made In Cookware, and the wonderful band Ley Line Sound. The weather was perfect, the tacos were tasty, and the whiskey cocktails were of course on point!  The afternoon was laid back as the four women of Ley Line Sound performed their set which has musical influences from Brazil, Latin America, and West Africa.

On Saturday morning we descended upon Auditorium Shores where our friend Fabian Rey, a local artist, began painting his live mural commissioned and inspired by Nine Banded Whiskey in the center of Austin Food & Wine Festival.  We kept the theme in tact with our tasty “Fresca Frisky” which featured watermelon jalapeno agua frescas from Lula’s and Nine Banded Whiskey.

It was exciting to be part of the diverse group of food and drink brands from across the country who came together to make the festival great.

Later that day, we popped up at the awesome event called “Rock Your Taco” where various chefs of all backgrounds competed at local warehouse venue Fair Market by making their best taco.  Attendees tried the tacos one by one until happy and full. The night paired perfectly with our Nine Banded Whiskey horchata cocktails, topped with a dash of cinnamon.  At the end of the night Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel and the host of “Bizarre Foods” was the winner with his decadent black caviar and cured salmon taco.  Congrats to all the chefs!

Sunday morning the gates opened at Auditorium Shores to find Fabian Rey adding some much needed color to the day.  The Whiskey + Art interactive activation we put together was extremely memorable for all who stopped by. Naturally we were set up next to Austin’s own DJ Mel spinning all the tracks so it became our duty to keep the cups filled with cocktails such as the Wild Side which is our Nine Banded Whiskey with a splash of grapefruit juice, lime, and a dash of peach bitters topped with Rambler sparkling water.   

We closed down the Austin Food & Wine Festival with a bang.  Thanks DJ Mel!  See you next year!  

March in Austin was a crazy month, indeed.

One of the biggest events held annually in our hometown is South by Southwest (SXSW). For 10 days the streets of Austin become engulfed by diverse crowds of innovators, artists, filmmakers, photographers, musicians, gamers, comedians, actors, engineers and other folks from all over the world who definitely have fun and maybe learn a thing or two.

Austin is transformed into a giant creative hub of pop-up music showcases, industry meetups, unpredictable nightly parties, surprise guest performances, and all around multi-cultural madness. For SXSW 2019 we were beyond excited to partner with some of our favorite brands and companies for events all around Austin.

This year we were grateful to have worked with companies such as WeWork, Rodeo Austin, Tribeza, Austin Anthem, On Vinyl, Viceland, Food+City, C3 Presents, Taco Deli, Precision Camera, ATMOSPHERE, UTOPiA Fest, Arlyn Studios, For Spite Creative, Fine Southern Gentlemen, Vinyl Ranch, Nowhere Road Presents, Zilker Brewing Co., Jewell Box Janes, Brandon Maxwell, Mod Bikes and local venues like The Liberty, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Barton Springs Saloon, Hard Luck Lounge, Kitty Cohen’s, Scoot Inn and The Rustic Tap.

We teamed up with our buds at C3 Presents to host two incredible music showcases at Scoot Inn. Day one brought local bands such as Duncan Fellows, Black Pistol Fire, and Otis the Destroyer sharing the stage with touring bands showcasing their music during SXSW. Day two was a female-led music showcase and brought in acts from all over the world including Mexican-Dominican musician Ambar Lucid from New Jersey, WAAX from Australia, Blushing and Swells from Austin and many more.

We escaped the craziness of downtown to celebrate Texas-born renowned fashion designer Brandon Maxwell’s debut as a judge on the newest season of Project Runway. Gratitude and love was felt as the night unfolded at Nine Banded Whiskey co-founder Whitney Kroenke’s house. Friends and family gathered to honor Maxwell’s big debut.

During the Viceland happy hour, guests enjoyed cotton candy and Nine Banded Whiskey (quite the unique pairing) as they showed off their skills out on the rollerskating rink.

We were honored to end SXSW with our dear friends at Arlyn Studios. For two days, Arlyn hosted an incredible lineup of musicians including Paul Cauthen, Leon III, Blackillac, Medicine Man Revival, The Last Knife Fighter and more. The energy was pure, the music raw, and the crowd very well nourished.

We can’t wait to do it all over again next year, but for now scroll through these photos to see how Nine Banded Whiskey does Austin in March.

Photos by Renee Dominguez and Brittany Hallberg

December 8, 2018:  On a quintessentially brisk Austin December evening the Austin Originals made their magical debut at the legendary Arlyn Studios located in the heart of our hometown. Austin Originals formed as a group of like-minded locally-based companies, including Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Nine Banded Whiskey, Arlyn Studios, Panacea Collective and the music non-profit All ATX, all dedicated to preserving the true soul and authenticity of Austin.

With truly amazing performances from Melat, The Texas Gentlemen, Danny Clinch, Naala, Jason Robert Blume and Nine Banded Whiskey’s very own, Aaron Beavers, the debut of Austin Originals was a smashing success.  The goal of Austin Originals is to create uniquely Austin experiences with the people who make this city great, all while fundraising for the charities that preserve the lifeblood of our city – our musicians.  Austin Originals is planning a series of events throughout 2019 so stay tuned for more memorable fun in the name of supporting Austin music.  

Special thanks to Lone Star Beer for the longnecks, Hopdoddy for the burgers, Southern Glazer’s for the wine, and our wonderful families and friends for showing up.

Photos by Renee Dominguez

Arlyn Studios:  Our spiritual home, the World renowned music recording studio, is steeped in the tradition of recording incredible music and more recently hosting memorable events. The walls of Arlyn tell a nearly complete story of Austin music from “then” to “now” – artists like Gary Clark Jr., Lukas Nelson, Dave Grohl, Neil Young, and the man himself, Willie Nelson, have recorded here. 

All ATX: Austin’s leading music advocacy supports this city’s most revered past-time, live music. All ATX raises money and holds events for musicians who contribute to keeping the “Live Music Capital of the World” alive. All ATX currently benefits Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), The SIMS Foundation, Austin Music Foundation (AMF), and Black Fret.

Panacea Collective: The 360 event production and experiential marketing firm personifies Austin’s culture with their beautifully crafted furniture collections. Their wholesome products and extensive dedication to every project makes each event feel more like an Austin experience.

Tito’s Handmade Vodka: No explanation needed. Tito’s has been at the center of Austin’s culture since its origin. Love, Tito’s, the philanthropic side of the company, has given a helping hand to thousands of causes ranging from natural disaster relief, animal welfare, and of course to the music world of Austin. Tito’s reinvented the way people see cause marketing for spirits and we are proud to partner with them on this movement.

Us: Being a whiskey brand means more to us than just selling whiskey.  Over the past year we have begun to meaningfully support organizations and charities that mean a lot to our family and to Austin.  In 2018, we have supported ALL ATX, Playing For Change Foundation, DKR Fund for Alzheimer’s Research, and SAVE MUNY to name a few. We are honored to live in a city with a rich music history and we are enthusiastically committed to supporting music’s future in Austin.