Balcones Distilling in Waco, Texas, exists in what used to be a welding studio under a bridge. The founders not only transformed this space into a distillery, they also hand-made all of the distilling equipment, right down to the custom stills.

Although the Balcones team is moving house this year, surely that hands-on approach will hold steady to the new location. New to their move, however, will be a collaboration with several local construction and engineering businesses in addition to the venerable Forsyths of Scotland (producers of stills used at Bruichladdich, Yamazaki, Woodford Reserve, and Glenfiddich, to name a few).