Maverick Distilling’s Expedition Series No. 1 Feels Like the Start of Something

Some distilleries spend years building a story.

Maverick Distilling had one waiting for them before the first barrel was ever filled.

Tucked into San Antonio’s historic Broadway corridor, just a few blocks from the Alamo, Maverick operates out of the beautifully restored Lockwood National Bank building at 115 Broadway. It’s the kind of place that reminds you Texas history isn’t something confined to museum walls. Around here, it still has a way of showing up in the architecture.

The name itself carries serious weight.

Samuel Augustus Maverick signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, served as mayor of San Antonio, and somehow managed to leave his mark on the English language by refusing to brand his cattle. That stubborn little act of independence eventually gave us the word Maverick - long before Top Gun made it popular. 

And honestly, it's a pretty solid origin story for a whiskey distillery.

Founded by Samuel’s descendant, Kenneth Maverick, the distillery leans into that legacy without feeling trapped by it. There’s history everywhere, but it doesn’t come across as a gimmick. It feels more like a foundation.

And over the last several years, Maverick has quietly built one of the more interesting whiskey programs in Texas.

The distillery has developed a reputation for blending old-world inspiration with Texas grain-to-glass grit, producing everything from bourbon and rye to single malt and even sotol-inspired spirits. Their downtown operation combines distillation, maturation, blending, and hospitality in a way that feels deeply tied to San Antonio itself.

That’s part of what makes Expedition Series No. 1 so interesting.

This isn’t a random one-off release.

It’s a distillery taking what it has learned and intentionally charting a new course.

Created in collaboration with whiskey blender and consultant Irene Tan, Expedition Series No. 1 immediately gets whiskey nerd attention. Tan’s name tends to show up around projects where details matter, where every decision feels considered rather than rushed. Her blends have a way of taking your palate on a full tour, lighting things up from the first sip through the mid-palate and all the way into the finish.  

The bourbon is built on a mashbill of 72% yellow corn, 18% Wren’s Abruzzi rye, and 10% malted barley, then matured for five years before being bottled at a barrel-strength 129.9 proof.

That Wren’s Abruzzi rye component is especially worth noting for the grain geeks. It’s an heirloom varietal with roots stretching back to the American South, known for contributing a distinctively earthy, spicy depth that plays differently than the sharper spice notes you’ll often find in more common modern rye strains.

It also carries the Certified Texas Whiskey designation, which means this isn’t just Texas-branded whiskey. It was mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled here in Texas under the standards that designation requires.

And that matters.

Because bottles like this tell a bigger story about where Texas whiskey is today.

Not all that long ago, the conversation was centered on whether Texas could produce whiskey worthy of national attention.

That question has been answered.

Now the conversation is shifting toward refinement.

Toward grain selection.

Toward collaborative blending decisions.

Toward releases that feel less like statements of arrival and more like deliberate explorations of what Texas whiskey can become.

That’s exactly what Expedition Series No. 1 feels like.

A distillery with deep roots choosing to push forward.

A first chapter that feels less like a finished product and more like the opening page of something worth following.

And if you’re curious what all of those details translate to once the cork comes out, there’s a deeper look at the nose, palate, how it evolves with a few drops of water, and whether that $150 price point earns its place on the shelf here:Read the full Maverick Distilling Expedition Series No. 1 tasting review

If this is where Maverick’s expedition begins, it’ll be worth keeping a map handy for whatever comes next.

Find out more about Maverick Distilling and how to get your own bottle of the Expedition Series No.1 on their website: https://maverickwhiskey.com/