Treaty Oak Distillery

This is an amazing place. Open four weeks but it is a place that seems like it has opened for decades.
The 30 acre property has several dedicated buildings with more to come. They first are a distillery making their own rum, bourbon, gin and vodka. The gift shop also has a tasting bar where from five bucks gets you three tastings or you can just buy the bottle.
The Rickhouse has a bar with mixed drinks on TAP. The drinks are varied and will please all pallets.
The Ghost Hill restaurant is not open but the food truck is and this no ordinary food truck fare. Duck confit, blue corn hoe cake, and cold smoked catfish are AMAZING.
The staff is engaging and clearly love what they do. The kids will enjoy the play area and the dancing between the barrels is makes a fine weekend evening.
Wanted to update. Still great place with innovative offerings. The staff is energetic and eager to please. Crowds are bigger which tells you they are doing it right.
My sister and brother in law were in town from out of state and were blown away by the quality of the whiskey. But brother in law was equally surprised by the white liquor (Gina, vodka, rum) he usually skips (whiskey snob he is).
Place is great. You can always see the owners taking pride in the food, drinks, and merriment. Come see and support the local family guys doing it right.

If they even made an attempt at caring about their customers I would rate higher, but all we received was apathy. My wife and I have been there twice and both times there was a significant waiting line, which is ok if it moves… at treaty oak it does not… it took us nearly an hour to get served drinks that are already premade from a tap? I’ve never seen anything so ludicrous, the bar business is all about turns, to make money, as a process improvement expert by profession they need to have a more efficient checkout process/​paying etc, more bar tenders and a customer focus, at minimum if they are that far behind the manager should recognize that and empathize with their customers. maybe serve an horderve or tasting of drinks… that’s if they want returning customers. Maybe their play is the long lines and buzz will make people come back or desire it more… in our case they lost a customer that lives in their neighborhood.

Let me start by saying that I like this place and will be back. But there are some wrinkles that need to be ironed out. Drinks were great and that’s why we were there. But we wanted some food as well. We got there at 1:15 and they were already out of bbq for sandwiches (they open at noon). I ordered a chicken panini instead. It never came. When I went to ask where my food was the bartender I’d ordered from said I hadn’t ordered anything (despite the fact that I had my receipt with me). At that point, the other bartender intervened and said they’d get my sandwich right out. They did and all was good. But if they want to open a restaurant – and they plan to – they’ll need to do better at estimating how much food they’ll need to get them through the day. And bartenders with attitude are *never* good for business :/

Oh let me count the ways I love thee. Starlite star bright caught me Red Handed two steppin’ and sippin’ with Graham in Waterloo under the Treaty Oak.
So it’s pretty obvious I enjoy a good cocktail. I enjoy it even more on a picturesque day on a Texas ranch. Visiting TOR is worth the little day trip. And yes, sure there are lots of places to stop and sip. And you totally should if you make the drive out. I’m not sure which to tell you to go to first because you may not make it anywhere else if you visit TOR first. It wouldn’t be a loss though if you only stayed there.
They have everything you need. There are at least 7 kinds of booze in the tasting room. Then when you make your way over to the Rickhouse (in my mind it’s named after Rick James and the Commodores). There you will find an epic list of cocktails to choose from. Now granted most of them are draft cocktails, but none are short on flavor.
If the weather is nice, I would order 2 because it can get really busy to wait. I’d take off ½ star if I could because there is only one register. The line was probably 50 deep, no lie. With 3 – 4 tending bar and draft cocktails you’d think it’d go fast, but not so much with only one POS. This was my 3^rd time out and my first on a Saturday so it’s the only time I’ve seen the line that crazy. We would have lingered longer but our cups were empty and the line was out the door.
I totally give TO props for using Eco-​friendly cups for their cocktails. Seriously love that! I can’t remember if they give you straws with your drinks, hopefully if they do they are compostable. I seriously hate it when everyone gives you a straw. Have you seen the sea turtle video with the straw? I buy paper straws in bulk at home!
So now the food. And this is another reason you don’t need to go anywhere else. They will eventually have their own garden and all that jazz but for now the chef (Jason?) uses locally sourced produce and protein. There are lots of vegetarian choices too. I’ve had all the tacos, the charcuterie, and the farmer’s plate. And the grilled cheese on the kids menu is damn delicious finished with a sprinkling of salt.
The ranch is very dog and kid friendly! The playscape even looks fun for a tipsy adult. It’s set far enough away so it won’t bother the non-​kids and/​or the parents can keep an eye on their kiddos and not be disturbed either. Lots of trees and open areas for little ones and furry ones to frolic.
Now this is a ranch so it’s rustic. Don’t expect AC and don’t wear heels. Get a DD or take a tour bus. Just get out here and support a local business that’ll transport you away from the daily grind.

Long story short, I caught wind of Treaty Oak’s opening about an hour before the ribbon cutting. School in Drippin’ had just let out; so I’m thinking I should be one of those trendy dads and show my then 7 year old the spectacle of a grand opening. I mean, politicians were there. That’s like ‘murica and stuff.
We actually arrived early and spent about and hour hanging in the kids area tossing around a Frisbee. Pretending to row down a river in a kayak by the tree. Rooster had just finished a summer of little league so we had some time to practice with the provided bats and balls. I’m meanwhile eyeing the unfinished restaurant steps away from the retail area.
Ghost Hill according to staffers estimated opening on that day was two months. I’ve since heard that time table might not be that realistic. C’mon guys, we need additional dining options out here in the sticks. Reception area consists of tastings with branded merchandise along with selections of hot sauces.
Back near the barrel and bar area, they were having trouble getting the computers up for service. The ended up serving John Daly’s to the masses which consisted of Graham’s Texas tea and sparkling lemonade. Damn fine cocktail! Then, I realized that I was supposed to be delivering my moms dog to the kennel… thirty minutes ago.
I did return a few days later to sip a mojito with a small forest of mint a few days later next to the fire pit. I have to say Treaty Oak did a damn fine job creating another drinking destination in Hays County. Staffers were quite friendly despite the hiccups of opening day. Now, lets get that restaurant online!

I cannot wait to see what they do when this place is fully finished! Such a cool place with lots of open space. There was the tasting room, cocktail area, soon-​to-​be food area, yard games, and the distillery.
It currently costs $ 10 for 3 tastings, but with the 3 of us she suggested we try all of the liquors and share which was a great recommendation. They are all very different, and I left with a bottle of the Waterloo Gin (about $ 20) and the Bourbon (about $ 35). Reasonably priced for a great product!
The cocktails are fun too. The Bloody Mary was phenomenal with good toppings of pickled okra and a pickle, and our favorite was Old Smoky with the Waterloo Antique Gin and house smoked citrus soda. The SODA! I wish they bottled it but unfortunately it is made in-​house but the smokey flavor was phenomenal. I don’t tend to go for citrus soda drinks but this is something completely else.
Can’t wait to come back on a nice day and spend all day here!

I’ve been a fan of Treaty Oak since I first had the Waterloo Antique Barrel Reserve Gin. It sips like whiskey, finishes like gin — and much better for your heart than whiskey ;)
We went out to the distillery for Halloween festivities. We brought our friends who have a kid. The event was family friendly, and there were lots of activities and objects available geared toward kids. The little man loved it.
The $ 5 3-​spirit tasting is a fantastic deal and gives you a good look at the products made by Treaty Oak. Their merch is reasonably priced and this is a family owned business you truly want to get behind.
Next time we come out to Treaty Oak, we’ll probably hit Jester King on the way home (it’s only 3 miles away).

Liquor, check. Tacos, check. Music, check. Driving in you will find a handful of buildings and a parking lot among some trees. First you’ll encounter a bottle shop with a reputable selection of bitters, shrubs, hot sauce, honey… and some locally made drinkware. 5 $ for a tasting of three, however this 5 $ went for the price of a bottle so why not. Bottle prices were on par with your favorite liquor store.
Next, plenty of picnic tables scattered underneath some oak trees. There is a stage as well with some cool guys playing music. Along the fence line there was a bunch of yard games where all the kids got to enjoy life. Walking into the Rickhouse (Brickhouse?), you are welcomed by a large number of casks and a few picnic tables… to the bar! A number of drinks listed with a good 20 or so taps lining the bar. All their drinks are premixed which brings dissapointment. For 7 or 8 dollars, you end up getting a sugar laden mixed drink. Nearly every (if not every) drink is soda base.
Walking up a bit further there was the distillery. Two large conical fermenter sit there still in plastic (they are going to eventually brew beer), a handful of stills, and a large amount of casks line the walls.
Overall, awesome place. If you’re in the area for any of the other venues (Jester King, Last Stand, Argus), you may as well stop here for a sampling or bottle. Personally I will not be coming back for their cocktails which unfortunately hide the quality of their product beside sugary sodas.