Elite Squad Event @ Yellow Rose Distilling

Great introduction to our own hometown distillery inside the Beltway.
Despite my love of whiskey and bourbon (and being a Spec’s Frequent Flyer Cardholder), I’m surprised that I was unaware of Yellow Rose Distilling.
Yay for this Elite Squad Event for quashing my ignorance, but keeping me blissful at the same time.
Just outside the West Loop and North of I-​10 on N. Post Oak, Yellow Rose is located in a standard warehouse park (no surprise). I’d be a little suspect that an upcoming distillery would startup in some fancy place. Instead, as evident in their distilling equipment and supplies, the capital is being spent on making a fine product.
Already full of joyous Unilocalers, the tasting room more than adequately holds a crowd. It wasn’t until I saw the pictures that I realized that I sat at a really cool table made from a whiskey barrel. No doubt I was pleasantly distracted by the tasty samples of whiskey from the bar. A simple and tasteful display of Yellow Rose’s line of whiskeys and vodka lines the wall next to the «sales» window.
Of course, the real secret is behind the curtain (actually a door) that leads you to the warehouse proper where you are greeted by stainless steel vessels, pipes, containers, and cute, little oak barrels that you would want to take home as a pet. There truly is a science involved in cooking and even more so in the process of distilling. I enjoyed learning how the staff takes water and grain and turns it into something worth putting in a bottle. Even the bottle labeling area proved interesting.
I was a little surprised at my tastebuds at the end of the samplings. Despite my usual leanings toward an oaky whiskey like their Outlaw Bourbon, I ended up enjoying the limited edition Maple Rye Whiskey (finished in a barrel that previously aged maple syrup) the best.
How did I enjoy myself? Numerous samples in my bloodstream, Ruggles sweets in my stomach, KIND bars in my pocket, and two bottles of Yellow Rose whiskey in my bag.
Thanks for a lovely Elite event, Houston!
My Tip: User friendly «Maple» Whiskey is a winner.
My Tip x2: Arrive as early as you can for the ever popular Elite events.

Unilocal always knows how to throw a party. Managed to find Yellow Rose Distilling tucked into a small corporate plaza. Not what I was expecting at all, but I’m always down for trying something new.
Excellent small space for relaxing and enjoying some great whiskey. I’m not much of a whiskey drinker, but I enjoyed my drinks! The apple smash in particular was fantastic. Also, I could not get enough of the desserts! Specifically the cookies — those were quite delicious.
Wonderful getting to meet people at this event!

Free whiskey anyone? Yes please!
This was a great after work event. The staff was very friendly and welcoming of us Elites and Unilocalers. I was pretty surprised they had vodka in additional to whiskey. Not only that, but they also had mixed drinks which was a definite plus! I had the Apple smash: apple juice, cinnamon, and blended whiskey. It reminded me of a fall or holiday drink.
The space was a good size and had some TVs in the room. I wasn’t able to go on the tour but from the pictures posted, it looked very informative.
I’m excited this distiller is nearby and easily to get to. I’ll have to stop on by during the week/​weekend to grab a drink.
Great event Farrah!

I loved this event!
It was not only fun, but educational. I am not a whisky person, but my husband is. Luckily for me they also make vodka! I was pretty happy to find this place in my neck of the woods. I love little gems like this place. We all received 2 drink tickets but were also able to sample their selection of whisky and vodka.
The owners were so nice and very informative. I really wasn’t well versed in whisky making, but now I feel I get it! We tried the Apple smash made with apple cider, cinnamon and whisky. My husband really enjoyed it. It was slightly too strong for my taste buds. I opt’d for the Moscow Mule made with their vodka, ginger beer, lime and mint. I really enjoyed the vodka, it is very clean and smooth tasting.
I love supporting local businesses. These guys are great. The next time I am wanting Vodka I am going to go local and buy theirs!

STORY TIME: I lived in the backwoods of Tennessee for a summer while working for the National Park Service. I made friends with some archeology grad students and helped them discover a site now named The Black Mariah; that site contained the remains of an old distilling operation. I also made friends with some good looking young cowboys who gave me my first (and last) taste of moonshine, straight from a mason jar, bottled in the mountains and chased with Mountain Dew, naturally. It was absolutely TERRIBLE going down and coming back up.
Moral of this story: Fortunately, the spirits at Yellow Rose remind me NOTHING of that summer. Yellow Rose is a class act.
The tour was my favorite part of this event. In fact, I came just for the tour since I am not a whiskey drinker but I nerd out when seeing production processes in action. I seriously might volunteer to help label bottles.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that Yellow Rose also makes vodka. I REALLY enjoyed the Moscow Mule that was made with the vodka, but 2 of those drinks got me a little tipsy even after having eaten dinner. The bartenders were on top of their game and made accommodating a full house look easy.
I appreciate and congratulate the passion and risks that the owners have taken to make their dream a reality. Next time I need a bottle of whiskey as a gift or vodka for my mixed drinks, Yellow Rose is on top of my list.

I got to say, this was much more fun than I expected. Sure, I’ve been to a few beer breweries around Houston and other areas but this is my first time ever at a whiskey distillery. Not only we get 2 drink tickets for their mixed cocktail when you check-​in but we also get samplings of all of their products.
The tours were broken down into different groups as we Unilocalers did fill up the place. The president of the company was very knowledgable and seem passionate about being a distiller. I also asked him some hard ball questions and he answer them all as well. I could certainly recommend this a place for you to take your friends for a short afternoon weekend event as the admission is only $ 7 and you get to sample the fine products they have made on site.

Very fun event, and educational, too! I have been to many brewery tours and wineries, but my distillery tour list is somewhat limited, save for Balcones in Waco and now Yellow Rose.
The tour was paced well, was not overly-​lengthy and the processes were explained in a way that the Everyman could understand. The tastings were generous and portioned well for people like me who have very little experience with whiskey. I did appreciate that they also had a vodka sampling, too because I am more well-​versed in vodka. I found it to be relatively smooth when drinking straight. My husband said the same of the whiskeys we sampled, and he especially enjoyed the rye.
The mixed drinks were served with pretty garnishes, too. I tried the apple smash and enjoyed twirling the cinnamon stick around while waiting for the ice to melt and dilute the drink a bit more. My mind wandered…
In all, a very fun time and I will be bringing some friends to the distillery for another visit!

This was quite an experience. First off, this place is a bit hard to find, but once found they have a huge parking lot. Once inside, we were given drink tickets and able to indulge in some chocolates. This was probably one of the few times when the food and the drinks really did clash.
I enjoyed both the ginger drink and the apple/​cinnamon drink, leaning a bit more favorable to the ginger drink. The room was small and a bit hot. There was probably a bit more than they are used to hosting. The tours got started pretty quickly, we were able to get into the 2^nd batch. The hosts were very informative and I learned a lot on the tour.
Overall, this was a cool event, besides the heat, in that case it was a hot event.

Distill my heart, the Yellow Rose might actually make me a whiskey fan! Smooth and easy drinking, I enjoyed each thing I tried! The owners and staff were very knowledgeable and nice to converse with. I was excited to find out they do tours on the weekends — looks like we’ll have a distillery and brew house tour coming soon! Thanks Unilocal for another great Elite event! Oh and those little tiny German Chocolate cupcakes — yes I’m placing my order now with Ruggles Café!

Probably one of the most educational distilleries I have had the pleasure of touring. These guys know their trade and are more than willing to share their story and knowledge on the distilling process. A definite 180 to the normal tour guides I am used to that are sloshed and hoping your the same so their word fumbles and mindless rambles are giggled at and forgotten long after.
Bartenders were stellar! Spot on, friendly, personable and just as informative of their product. Thank you for telling me the drinks concoctions a time or two and maybe thrice more.
Being a fan of whiskey, this event was truly a treat! And, quite honestly I don’t think I would have ever known of its existence had it not been for this event. The layout is quaint and intimate, almost seemed slightly bursting at its seams with our crowd. Loved the barrel tables, all made by the companies President!
Thanks to all the folks at Yellow Rose, Ruggles, and Unilocal crew for another note worthy event. Cheers!

First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Farrah and the Unilocal crew for yet another awesome Elite event.
If it weren’t for the YEE at Yellow Rose Distillery, I probably never would have known that there’s a bourbon distillery right here in Houston. But I’ll leave my comments for the distillery in its own review.
As for the event, it was a packed house. Two drinks tickets for each Elite member (more if you know people who don’t drink) and some sweet and yummy bites from Ruggles Green.
Friendly people, as always; a tour of the distillery, the opportunity to have a Q&A session with the president of the distillery (Myself and Mark W. had a chat with him while he was behind the bar — awesome guy,) nice bartender, great bourbon; really what else can you ask for at an elite event?
Thanks again, Farrah and Unilocal

What an honor to be a part of a behind the scenes look at Houston’s first legal Whiskey Distillery. It was a great way to learn about the in’s and out’s of whiskey making.
The bar/​lobby/​sales area was neat. I think it’s a great addition for the private events, tastings and parties that are hosted there. Hopefully once the distillation process starts to occur more often (Troy mentioned that it occurs once a week now) that the area will start to cool down, as they currently rarely run the AC. I was so hot that the little thimble shots of whiskey/​bourbon was all I needed.
The story behind Yellow Rose was neat too! I love when an amazing concept is created by 2 friends and 1 bright idea.
Thanks to Ruggles and KIND snacks for the goodies. When I got home my purse was full of the bars, guess my +1 got a little overzealous with the protein bars that were OH SO GOOD! Oh my gosh… they were like sweet beef jerky. I could eat them all day long.
It was great to see David N. And as always Farrah A. we thank you for being our rock-​star CM. The new hair color is gorgeous.

Unfortunately I’m not a huge fan of whiskey so I can’t comment on how whether or not I enjoyed any of Yellow Rose’s goodies. The maple rye that they sometimes ship out to be used as syrup smelled really nice but I just couldn’t bring myself to drink it. I kept having flashbacks to college… So I just shoveled all my drinks to my plus one and other Unilocal Elites in hopes that they would drink them — and they did!
Yellow Rose did an awesome job showing all of us around the distillery and explaining the process of making whiskey. I found all the gears and machinery they used really fascinating and those little barrels were adorable (was totally tempted to ask if I could take one).
It was great seeing familiar Elite faces as well as seeing more brand spanking new Elites (hi Jenny S!) at an event. Farrah and Yellow Rose did a great job coordinating everything and I had a blast. Can’t wait for the next YEE, again!
Who else took a little Unilocal shot glass? Those things are adorable!

Great event. I was supposed to go to their opening event but had a conflict so I was happy to see this event listed.
I’ve never been on a distillery tour and it was very educational. The owners were present and they gave the tours followed by tasting of 2 types of bourbon, a whiskey, a rye and a vodka. I liked the Outlaw Bourbon the best.
This is the first distillery in the city limits. With the trend of touring breweries and beer tastings, this is a great option for those who want to discover something else to drink. Overall, this is a very nice venue to do something different on a weekend.
Kudos and thanks to the amazing Farrah and her Houston Unilocal crew.
Stay sexy fellow Unilocalers!

Sipping whiskey with Unilocal Elites-​there are definitely worse ways to spend a Wednesday evening.
The Yellow Rose folks were amazing! They not only knew what they were doing, but were passionate and good at explaining everything. Hubby was geeking out all over during the distillery tour (we’ve been to plenty of winery & brewery tours, but this was our first distillery). I am not a big whisky drinker, but did like the blended sample. I also really enjoyed their vodka-​very smooth-​I will be looking for that at Specs.
The Ruggles Café Bakery sweets were an added treat-​I really enjoyed the mint chocolate cupcake, Hubby’s favorite was the salted chocolate cookie.
Every Elite event I’ve been to is impressive and enjoyable, and this was no exception. Thanks to Farrah and the entire Unilocal crew. Can’t wait until the next one I get the pleasure of attending!

Farrah thanks again for another fabulous event! I have been to many wineries, but don’t know much about how liquor is distilled. The owners did a great job on the tour of really explaining the process in layman’s terms. A lot of hard work goes into the making of their product and you can tell they have great passion and pride in what they do.
The bartenders did a fantastic job keeping up with all the thirsty Unilocalers. Being a vodka drinker, I preferred the Moscow Mule, but the Apple Smash put me in the mood for fall.
This was definitely a great way to spend Hump Day!

Just when I made a vow I was going to slow down on the drinks at OYE’s
They have one in a distillery
Where they make whiskey, bourbon and vodka
and they hand me two free drink tickets
and supply several «tasting» shots
Frack.
Yellow Rose is located in a super shady block of strip shops that house non retail businesses. If you are going in for a tour, I would highly suggest keeping an eye on the blocks as you pass, because you will inevitably end up making a u turn.
Inside you find a quaint little room that exudes that sweet Texas charm. Mike and I arrived early and bellied up to the bar area, talking to the informative blonde behind the counter. We were quickly met by some of our favorite Unilocalers and friends. We were lucky enough to take the first tour through the distillery.
Learning about the distillation process was fascinating. The guide went on about how it goes from this shiny thingy to this shiny thingy and that shiny thingy needs to be this hot. I’ll be honest-​at a certain point I tuned out– watching the swirling cinnamon stick in my apple smash. I did walk away with an extreme appreciation for the time and effort it takes to make a bottle of liquor I can admittedly finish in one evening.
With hugs from beloved Unilocalers and a brief chat with our new photog and marketing sweetheart, we bid adieu.
Farrah, as always, you did a wonderful job organizing. A huge thanks to you and the owners of Yellow Rose for letting us get a deeper look into spirits. It was most appreciated.

I learned two things last night: the distilling process & that I actually like bourbon! Located in the sketchy warehouse area off of N. Post Oak I wasn’t expecting much & was pleasantly surprised. The front room has a bar (where they serve their product, duh) with tables & chairs scattered about. I spotted a couple of my favorite Unilocalers & mosied up to the bar to enjoy my complimentary beverage. I was very pleasantly surprised that they had vodka. The drink was very weak but hey I didn’t show up to get a buzz on (for those who know me, you know I am lying thru my teeth).
We were in the first group to take the tour & hell’s bells the place was huge! H immediately exclaimed «I want one of these» when he saw the massive still (?) used for distillation (see there, I did learn something). We were guided through the whole process of mashing, fermentation, distillation & barreling. We were also shown a room where they bottle & label the product. I didn’t realize so much work went into one bottle. These guys must love what they do. They are definitely passionate about their product.
Next we were led to the tasting area where I was able to sample a bit of everything. I found I really liked their Double Barrel Bourbon Whiskey which is aged in an oak barrel then finished in a wine barrel. Nice fruity hints with a smooth finish. My second favorite was the Straight Rye Whiskey which is made with a high percentage of rye for a slightly sweet, peppery flavor.
H & I really enjoyed ourselves & learned a few things along the way! Thanks to Farrah & crew for making this happen. And big thanks to Yellow Rose for opening their doors & educating us on the making/​distilling of artisan whiskey.

A more educational elite event than usual. I sort of learned how to distill alcohol by mindlessly staring at beautiful steel vats with complex pipes coming out of them. I also stared at the barrels to intuit that the smoky taste of the whiskeys come from the wood. I would have learned more if I had actually taken a tour guide with me to the back instead of my favourite bartender. She noted the different sizes of the barrels, but I couldn’t admit to her that like most men I lack the ability to accurately estimate the size of wood. When we came back out with our whiskey flushed faces, people were staring at us accusingly like we had been up to no good?
Oh, I should talk about the whiskeys. First drink I had was an apple smash which didn’t taste like the usual bourbon smash. I tasted cinnamon mostly in between bite of the ruggles bakery chocolate which ended up killing any sweetness of the drink. The salty chocolate cookie in my mouth had my inner Isaac Hayes dancing. Grease up that cookie sheet. I took a sip of their maple rye whiskey and it tasted very oaky. Apparently I cannot differentiate the taste of different woods in my mouth either. So I switched to the reserve barrel which had a clean smooth taste that I’m used to. Not quite Gentleman Jack but certainly no regular Jack Daniels.
The event was crowded which did not help the temperature of the room. We briefly escaped the heat by sneaking off outside to stand in the regular Houston humidity. Perhaps ordering the vodka-​based moscow mules would have helped instead of the whiskeys, but prior history of being kicked in the head by mules and Russian women made me go with the Yellow Rose firewater.
Thank you, Farrah and the rest of the Unilocal crew for hosting the event.

This was like a really chill episode of «How It’s Made» playing out in real life, with a proper drink in your hand to sample what they made.
I have been through numerous brewery and distillery tours before. Some of them treat the craft like witchcraft and wizardry, others have quit caring so long ago their tour is brief and profanity-​laced before they shove alcohol in your face as a distraction, and then there are the good/​great ones. This was one of the great ones. The guy leading the tour was invested in the craft and explained everything from point A to point B, answered questions fully, and kept the interest and the energy level up throughout the guided tour, room to room. I now know more about distilling than I did this morning — so I think that is a testament to their skillz and a benchmark of success for any guided tour to achieve — there is a point (a tasty point) to come tour the facility. We had a great tour guide giving us a great tour.
They have the tasting sample area sitting inside the ring of barrels. Outlaw was informally the fave sample of everyone I spoke with; the rye was «spicy» in the words of the guy pouring; and the vodka was a pleasing offset to the rye. I did not taste a single bad thing here.
Back in the waiting area the guy and the girl pouring dranks and taking your two drink tickets were also super nice and polite. After they explained what the drink options were to me, in detail, they did it over one hundred times more when I was in earshot and they did not yet look frustrated. That’s some quality right there — just like the tour guide, everyone involved in the operation seems super nice and to care about their branding. That is refreshing and of course speaks to how they will continue to keep growing, and prosper more and more over time.
My sole complaint is how hot it was getting inside. I don’t mean it in the Paris Hilton way; I mean like it was heat hot. Pro tip: you do not need a long sleeve shirt and jacket. I did not pop a molly, but I certainly was sweating on the tour until I found the fan blowing in the tasting sample area.
It was nice to see a lot of people that have been MIA lately as well as catching up again with bros from Fogo on Monday evening, and even meeting new people whose names I already forgot. I am slowly meeting more and more of all the new first year elite badges!
Huge thanks to Farrah and her crew for setting everything up, it was another flawless elite event that was incredibly enjoyable and giving us a sample of local flavor that deserves a big spotlight in the community. Also thanks to Yellow Rose for humoring our shenanigans for the evening all while keeping a smile on their face and continuing to pour more drinks — y’all were super cool.