BTU Spotlight: Spirits Without Secrets
THE WORLD OF WHISKEY AND SPIRITS IS FULL OF SECRETS.
While the art of distilling combines scientific processes that have been learned and replicated over the years, everything else – even the claims of origin on the labels and bottles themselves – is veiled in a web of marketing ploys and legal technicalities.
With a name like Hush & Whisper, you would expect Downtown Bryan’s own distillery to keep their cards close to their chest. But ironically, the name stems from a desire to do the exact opposite.
"We wanted out brand to be about transparency and showing people this is how it's done right," Hush & Whisper founder and Bryan native Caleb Clanton said.
That commitment to transparency is evident from the moment you walk in the door. Every aspect of the distilling process is readily on display, and while other companies are prone to stretch the truth when claiming Texas origins, Hush & Whisper is Texan, and local, to the core.
The entire operation sits on the lower levels of the Varisco Building, downtown's tallest structure originally built in 1948. It took vision to transform the space, which originally house a JC Penny store, into one that would create and serve craft spirits. But with help form BTU, Hush & Whisper became a modern hotspot.
“We were using the original transformers that were in the building in the 1940s, which needed to have
some pretty serious safety updates,” Clanton said. “BTU got with us and helped us move and update the transformers so that they’re outside of the building [and avoided the need to put electric lines over or under] the railroad tracks.”
Additional upgrades included replacing the original boiler with a modern heating system and ensuring all other electrical components were up to code. The result is a space that carries the charm and ambiance of the original years gone by with amenities that make it one of the area’s best places to meet friends for a drink and conversation.