Firestone & Robertson’s whiskey scientist, Ale Ochoa, featured in Visit Fort Worth’s, Fort Worth Stories shares her story and gives a few of her Fort Worth favorites.

“TX Whiskey from the Firestone and Robertson Distillery is what I like to drink on the fourth of July. I like to sip whiskey but everyone else in my group likes to have mixed drinks. I enjoy the honey and caramel flavors that come out over an ice cube or two, but it mixes well with Old Fashioned ingredients and colas as well.”

“Fort Worth-based craft distillers Firestone & Robertson make their bourbon using local grains and a proprietary yeast strain from a Texas pecan, lending flavors of dried fruit, sweet spice, and floral notes. This bourbon is smooth and sells fast.”

“Murray’s corn breeding program evaluates about 7,000 varieties per year for food and animal feed, but his novel corn-for-whiskey project is attempting to answer the question: Can different corns make whiskey taste different? Better?”

“After 102 years, it appeared golf Glen Garden was done forever, but an emerging Texas distilling company, whose owners loved golf and needed more land for a larger operation, bought the property.”

“There is a toastiness to this bourbon, a scent of pecans and fresh-baked multigrain bread right from the oven and spread with honey, that is intensely appealing… Balanced, elegant, and with wonderful underlying power.”

“Helping lead that charge is Texas, which has the fourth-most craft distilleries in the country — and a real thirst for whiskey… These days, no one is pushing the scene forward faster or with more ambition than Fort Worth’s Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co.”

“Bursting with homegrown talent, the vibrant culinary landscape is perhaps the best reason to visit Fort Worth right now. Don’t just take our word for it, though. Meet three pioneering food-and-bev leaders who are blazing their own tasty trails.”

“As you gather with family and friends this holiday, consider toasting with something produced by your Texas neighbors with these wines and spirits made throughout the state.”

“When Ale Ochoa pulls up to her workplace, a ranch in southeast Fort Worth, she always takes time to enjoy the short journey from the gate to the door, which affords a fine view of the city’s skyline. “It’s a proper introduction,” she says.”

“’Firestone & Robertson’s Whiskey Ranch in Fort Worth, Texas. Founders Leonard Firestone and Troy Robertson are great people and they really hit a home run with Texas Whiskey. Whiskey Ranch is set on an 18-hole golf course with beautiful views overlooking downtown Fort Worth.’ – Jason Miller, general manager at Little Red Wasp in Fort Worth, Texas.”

“All fermentation begins with yeast—and each distillery’s choice of yeast can have drastic effects on the final product, especially when it comes to bourbons and whiskies, or other “brown spirits.” Whereas nearly all distilleries use commercially available yeast to kickstart their fermentation, Firestone & Robertson in Forth Worth has raised the bar even higher by isolating a proprietary yeast strain from none other than Texas’s state tree, the pecan.”

“Rather than using commercial yeasts to ferment their bourbon recipe into distillate, head distiller Rob Arnold has developed a wild yeast strain from the native pecan tree to distinguish this unique Straight Bourbon. The use of red winter wheat adds a soft, silky character to this bourbon, which leads with notes of summer yellow flowers, tangerine, and vanilla cream and finishes with red berries, bitter orange, and honey.”

“With 20 years of business experience both Troy and I have become very disciplined professionals. But, we came to this particular business with passion and we didn’t have any industry scars. So, when the distributors and accountants and …whoever … said to us “you can’t do that” we just asked them to give us a good reason why not. And, they couldn’t. [So we did]”

“For his dissertation, Mr. Arnold is examining how soil and climate in different parts of the state affect the flavor characteristics in corn, and whether those qualities come through in a distilled and aged spirit — a project that, he believes, will help him make whiskeys that can be identified with specific parts of Texas. “What I’m hoping to do is tap into flavors that have been forgotten,” he said.”

“Whiskey Ranch is a gorgeous place to spend the afternoon, as it sits on an 18-hole golf course and has views of downtown Fort Worth, a large fire pit with outdoor seating, and plenty of room to spread out. Smooth whiskey cocktails are served at the bar, and a back patio behind the bar offers a deck with seating and cornhole.”

“A master distiller and a crop scientist who specializes in corn breeding are working on a project they hope one day will help bring local identities to American whiskeys.”

“This coffee table prize is one whiskey enthusiasts will flip through for hours.”

“Ochoa, whose job title is “Whisky Scientist,” joined Fort Worth, Texas-based Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co. in July, 2017. “I became interested in whiskey,” she says, “when I learned about Scottish whiskies in an undergrad history class at Texas A&M.””

“Set back far from the entrance, at the end of a meandering road, the compound overlooks a lake on the new 18th hole of the golf course, with a sweeping view of downtown Fort Worth at the back. The Ranch House, the main visitors building, is all dark wood and stone, with a wraparound patio and a large, new event space—called The Oak Room, with a capacity of around 400 standing and 180 seated—that has a manor fireplace and custom-made steel ornamentation.”