Live music, games, and whiskey at Iron Wolf distillery
At Iron Wolf Ranch and Distillery in Spicewood, guests can experience 360-degree views of the gorgeous Texas Hill Country from an outdoor patio while listening to live music and sipping a one-of-a-kind beverage.
Glenda and Jordan Watters decided that when their children departed for college, they wanted to engage in a lifestyle business. Enter Iron Wolf in 2014.
“We wanted a business where you live for work and don’t work to live,” Glenda Watters said. “It is a happy place where we love to be with people.”
Randy Aylieff, the third founder and partner, is the distiller and operations manager.
“A perfect fit,” Watters said.
Iron Wolf’s offerings are as wide as the 15 acres in Burnet County on which the distillery sits. It also features a retail shop and a cozy indoor bar, where visitors can sip a drink while checking out the rendering of a future expansion. Iron Wolf plans to build a 3,500-square-foot, air-conditioned facility with a stage, mezzanine, and 20-foot tasting bar.
“The idea of Iron Wolf is that it’s a great place to take your pack, your wolf pack,” Watters laughed. “Different people like different things, and that’s important to us.”
Outdoors is a large play area for kids, a bocce ball court, an oversized bourbon-bong game, a disc golf course, and washer boards. The current outdoor stage offers shade to the musicians and guests. Plenty of seating is available, including Adirondack chairs, bench tables, and stools pulled up to emptied whiskey barrels.
Live music plays an important role in the business. Local, regional, and national artists are featured every weekend, including Dale Watson, Robert Wagner, Jace of Spades, and Andrea Marie.
“We’d love to host future music festivals,” Watters said.
Guests determine their favorite spirits by taste testing.
“At the tasting bar, first-timers hear a story told about how and why we do everything and then receive a suggested drink list for the samples they try during the testing,” Watters said.
Spirits at the venue include bourbon, whiskey, vodka, and gin. A favorite is the Hotscotch, a true whiskey with a butterscotch flavor spiced with Texas peppers. On the vodka side, the 7x corn-distilled vodka can be purchased plain or infused with horseradish for a lively bloody Mary.
Austin’s famous Craig-O’s pizza makes fresh pizza for hungry visitors.
With seven buildings total in the future, Iron Wolf plans to be available as a venue for indoor and outdoor events.
“We’ve had several weddings here already,” Watters said.
You can find Iron Wolf products at more than 200 bars and restaurants as well as 300 liquor stores across Texas, many of them in the Highland Lakes of Burnet County. Only at the distillery can you find all of them together on a consistent basis.
Hours are 4-7 p.m. Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday beginning Oct. 3. Iron Wolf Ranch and Distillery is located at 101 CR 409 in Spicewood. Visit ironwolfranch.com or call 512-970-3203 for more information. You can also email info@ironwolfranch.com.
