Jared Himstedt
“Texas Medal Collector”
Jared Himstedt grew up in Texas, eventually as an adult settling in Waco. Before whiskey ever entered the picture, he worked in construction. His introduction to fermentation came not through distilling, but through homebrewing. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he began experimenting with brewing beer at home, fascinated by the precision yet variability in grain, water, and yeast. That interest grew from hobby to passion, and before long, he co-founded a homebrew supply shop in Waco called Brazos Brewing Supply to support the growing number of local hobbyists. It was through this world of brewing that Himstedt crossed paths with fellow Waco resident Chip Tate, an engineer and avid brewer with aspirations extending beyond beer. Around 2007, Tate approached Himstedt with an idea almost unheard of at the time: building the first legal whiskey distillery in Texas since Prohibition. Tate had a vision for a distinctly Texas spirit, one that did not attempt to imitate Kentucky bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, or Scottish malt but instead embraced his state’s climate, grains, and character. Jared was intrigued. His brewing background gave him familiarity with grains and fermentation science, and the opportunity to help shape something entirely new appealed to his creative instincts.
Tate and Himstedt soon became the founding members of what was to become Balcones Distilling, launched in 2008 in an old welding shop under a bridge in downtown Waco. The first two years were spent building nearly everything themselves, from stills to piping to mash tuns. Himstedt, never one to shy away from hands-on work, played a central role in both construction and early production. In 2009, Balcones released its first whiskey: Baby Blue, made from roasted Texas blue corn. It was the first legal Texas whiskey on the market and the first blue corn whiskey ever produced commercially in the United States. Himstedt helped refine the fermentation and grain handling processes that gave Baby Blue its distinctive nutty, sweet, and earthy profile. Critics took notice, and the whiskey won a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, putting Balcones and Himstedt in the spotlight almost overnight.
Following Baby Blue, Balcones continued experimenting with grain and barrel profiles. Himstedt oversaw production of whiskies like True Blue, Texas Single Malt, Brimstone (a smoked corn whiskey infused with Texas scrub oak smoke), and Rumble Cask Reserve. While Tate was often the public face of the company in its earliest years, Himstedt was the steady hand, running mashes, managing fermentations, and perfecting distillations. His technical rigor and patience helped Balcones earn more than 200 medals in its first few years, making it one of the most awarded distilleries in the world.
In 2014, after partnership changes led to Tate’s exit from Balcones, Jared Himstedt was promoted to Head Distiller/Master Distiller. He suddenly found himself responsible not only for production but for steering the whiskey program into its next chapter. Under his leadership, Balcones expanded into a new 65,000-square-foot facility in downtown Waco, retrofitted from a former Texas Fireproof Storage Building. Himstedt helped design the new distillery, including its Scottish Forsyths copper pot stills, custom fermenters, and temperature-controlled barrel rooms, marking one of the most advanced whiskey facilities at the time.
Himstedt has always maintained that “real” Texas Whiskey should be shaped by its environment rather than forced to mimic traditions from across the Mississippi River. For Balcones Single Malt, he continued using Scottish malt barley, aged it in the intense Waco heat, allowing barrels to extract flavor rapidly while still developing deep character. He also oversaw experiments with heirloom grain varieties such as Akragas barley, locally-grown Waco rye, and different regional strains of corn, reflecting his brewing background and his belief that whiskey should express terroir like wine or craft beer. Himstedt also began releasing age-stated single malts, bottled-in-bond expressions, and limited-edition single barrel programs that have gained national recognition. In 2015, Balcones Texas Single Malt won “Best American Single Malt” at the World Whiskies Awards. In 2018, the Balcones Peated Single Malt launched as one of the first Texan whiskies made using Scottish peat smoke. The Lineage Texas Single Malt, introduced in 2020, blended Scottish and Texas influences and won Best American Whiskey at the 2021 World Whiskies Awards.
In 2022, Balcones Distilling was acquired by Diageo, one of the world’s largest spirits companies. Some wondered whether the move would compromise the distillery’s identity, but Himstedt stayed on as Master Distiller, assuring whiskey fans that the production values and local commitment would remain intact. Despite the ownership change, Jared retained control of grain selection, fermentation strategy, and barrel maturation, and he still continues to push Texas whiskey into new territory, even under global ownership. Despite the rapid growth and change, since that time, Himstedt has remained steadily grounded in Waco. He is married to Julie, whom he met long before Balcones began. The couple has three children, and Himstedt has often spoken about how his long hours at the distillery in the early days were balanced with family life. Rather than chasing celebrity status in the whiskey world, he has chosen to stay established in the city and the roots where the Balcones story began.
Today, Jared Himstedt is widely recognized as one of the early architects of the Texas whiskey movement. His career, beginning in a modest homebrew shop and evolving through years of hands-on experimentation, has helped shape a category now respected worldwide. Where many distilleries rely on marketing narratives built on nostalgia, Himstedt built a legacy on grain, wood, weather, and work. He once summarized his philosophy simply: “Our job is to listen—to the grain, to the fermentation, to the barrel—and let Texas speak through the whiskey.” More than a decade into leading Balcones’ whiskey program, he continues to do just that.
Sources
Balcones Distilling Official Website – https://balconesdistilling.com
Texas Whiskey Association – Interviews with Jared Himstedt
Whisky Advocate, “The Rise of Balcones and Texas Single Malt,” 2016
WhiskyCast Episode 492 – Interview with Jared Himstedt
Waco Tribune-Herald, “Balcones Distilling Expands Into New Facility,” 2016
Diageo Press Release on Acquisition of Balcones, November 2022
Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview, Tennessee
