Bone Spirits LLC is a working industrial distillery in Smithville that feels almost completely uninterested in pretending to be a polished whiskey destination. There is no sprawling patio, cocktail program or carefully staged wall of barrels. Visitors climb a narrow metal staircase above the production floor, enter through a weathered steel door and find a small tasting room overlooking one of the largest and most unusual stills in Texas.
Established in 2010, Bone has spent much of its history producing spirits and whiskey for other brands rather than building its own public profile. The tasting room recently reopened after roughly a year, giving visitors another chance to sample Bone’s vodka, gin and Texas bourbon—and occasionally purchase older barrels that the distillery believes are actually worth releasing.
My wife and I visited during regular tasting-room hours in October 2026. Joe guided us through the lineup, explained the operation and showed the kind of straightforward hospitality that fits the place. We left with three bottles: vodka for my wife, plus a Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and 12-year cask-strength bourbon for me. Bone Spirits may not be somewhere you spend an entire afternoon, but it is one of the more interesting stops in Texas for anyone who wants to see the industrial side of whiskey without the gift-shop lighting.
Quick Facts
Location:802 NE 1st Street, Smithville, Texas 78957
Texas region:
Central Texas
Regular hours:
Thursday–Saturday: 12PM to 5PM
Information last verified:
October 2026
Food:
No food or snacks were available during my visit
Whiskey tastings:
Yes; guided samples were available during posted tasting-room hours
Cocktails:
No cocktails were offered during my visit
Other drinks:
A self-service water dispenser was available
Bottle sales:
Yes; bottles are available directly from the tasting room
Indoor seating:
Yes; limited tables, couches and bar seating
Parking:
Approximately three spaces in front of the building, with additional street parking nearby
Accessibility:
The tasting room is located on the second floor and reached by a narrow metal staircase.
What to Expect at Bone Spirits LLC
Bone Spirits feels like a working production facility that happens to have made room upstairs for visitors. The experience is personal and informal: climb the metal stairs, take a seat at the bar and let whoever is working walk you through the bottles currently available. During our visit, Joe handled the tasting himself, and my wife and I were the only guests in the room.
Do not arrive expecting cocktails, live music, food trucks or an afternoon built around entertainment. Bone’s tasting room is better suited to a focused stop: sample the spirits, talk with the people making them, decide which bottles deserve a ride home and then continue exploring Smithville or another nearby distillery.
That lack of polish is also part of what makes the visit interesting. The handwritten price list, simple bottle rack and window overlooking the production floor make Bone feel less like a carefully designed attraction and more like being allowed inside a distillery that usually spends its time making whiskey instead of explaining itself.
Getting There and Parking
Bone Spirits is located beside the railroad tracks in an industrial section of Smithville. Older residential neighborhoods sit directly across the street, giving the area the mixed industrial-and-residential character common in parts of town built long before zoning committees began having strong opinions about everything.
There are approximately three parking spaces directly in front of the building, with additional street parking available nearby. My wife and I were the only visitors during our stop, so parking was not remotely competitive.
Outside, a sign advertises “Farm to Bottle.” Joe told us that one couple stopped because they thought Bone might be selling fresh milk. They discovered that the bottles contained something considerably less appropriate for breakfast, stayed for a tasting and left with one anyway. Sometimes effective marketing is simply being misunderstood in the correct direction.
The building looks more like a production facility than a public-facing distillery, and the tasting room is not immediately visible from outside. Once you enter, be prepared to climb a narrow metal staircase to the second floor. Wire mesh separates the stairs from the working distillery below, providing an early indication that this is an industrial operation—not a tasting room that merely keeps a decorative barrel near the gift shop.
The Tasting Room
The entrance to Bone’s second-floor tasting room is marked by a handmade-looking steel door that appears to have been allowed to rust deliberately. It fits the building well: industrial, practical and given just enough character to suggest someone thought about it before returning to the more pressing business of making whiskey.
Inside, the tasting room is small but comfortable. A few tables, couches and barstools provide seating, while a self-service water dispenser handles the entire nonalcoholic beverage program. A wire rack behind the bar displays the available bottles, and a handwritten price list taped to the wall completes the decidedly low-budget retail operation.
A large window near the bar overlooks the production floor and Bone’s enormous 5,000-gallon still. The view makes the room feel connected to the working distillery below rather than separated from it for appearances.
The space would be comfortable for a few friends tasting together, although a crowd of around 20 people would probably make it feel fairly tight. There was no music, merchandise or elaborate décor during our visit. Bone has created a perfectly pleasant place to sample its spirits, but it has not confused a tasting room with an entertainment district.
Whiskey and Spirits at Bone Spirits LLC
Bone Spirits has operated in Smithville since 2010, primarily producing spirits and whiskey for other brands. Its centerpiece is a 5,000-gallon pot still built in-house from a repurposed cheese-making vat. It is an enormous piece of equipment, particularly when viewed from the tasting-room window above the production floor.
Joe guided us through samples of Bone’s vodka, gin, Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and 12-year cask-strength bourbon. I am not much of a vodka drinker, but my wife enjoyed it enough to purchase a bottle. The gin did not particularly stand out to me, although Joe mentioned that customers still ask about an older recipe the distillery previously produced.
The Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon is a 100-proof, grain-to-glass Texas bourbon made with 80% corn and 20% rye. It delivers the familiar flavors you would expect from a classic bourbon. It is not especially complicated, but it is good, approachable and easy to enjoy without turning every sip into a formal investigation. I liked it enough to bring home a bottle.
The most interesting release during our visit was Bone’s 12-year cask-strength bourbon. Bottled at 118.6 proof and sold in 375-milliliter bottles, it was distilled in Smithville from a mash bill of 80% corn, 17% rye and 3% malted barley. Twelve years in the Texas climate rounded the whiskey nicely without completely burying it beneath the oak. It was not overly complex; it was simply delicious, mature bourbon—and another bottle that came home with me.
Joe said Bone had several barrels of 12-year bourbon, but not every one would be released. Some had become so over-oaked that he did not feel comfortable selling them. Considering the temptation to put “12 Year” on a label and let the age statement do the marketing, leaving those barrels out of the release says quite a bit about Bone’s standards.
Cocktails, Other Drinks and Food
Bone Spirits did not offer cocktails, beer, wine, food or snacks during our visit. The tasting room is focused entirely on sampling and purchasing the spirits produced there. A self-service water dispenser was available, which becomes increasingly useful when the tasting progresses from vodka to 118.6-proof bourbon.
Plan to eat before or after your visit rather than arriving hungry. Bone works best as a short tasting stop, not as a place to settle in for lunch or spend several hours working through a cocktail menu.
Tours and Experiences
Bone Spirits did not advertise a formal public tour during our visit. Joe walked us through the tasting and explained the distillery’s history, equipment and production work, but that conversation should not be confused with a scheduled tour program.
The large tasting-room window provides a clear view of the production floor and the 5,000-gallon still below. Even without entering the production area, visitors can see that Bone is a serious working distillery rather than a bottle shop with an interesting backstory.
The tasting itself is the main experience. What is available may depend on the bottles and barrels Bone is prepared to release at the time. During our visit, that included vodka, gin, Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and the limited 12-year bourbon. If you are hoping to taste or purchase a particular release, contact the distillery before making a special trip.
Bone Spirits LLC created their own 5,000 Gallon still from an old cheese making vat
Who Will Enjoy Bone Spirits LLC?
Bone Spirits is best suited to whiskey enthusiasts who care more about what is in the bottle than what is happening around it. Visitors interested in Texas whiskey production, unusual equipment and small releases will find plenty to discuss with the people working there.
It is also a worthwhile stop for bottle hunters. Bone has spent much of its history producing spirits for other brands, so seeing bourbon released under its own name provides a more direct look at what the distillery can do. The 12-year bourbon alone made our visit worthwhile.
This is probably not the best destination for someone seeking cocktails, food, live music or an elaborate afternoon experience. Bone works better as a focused stop: taste the lineup, buy whatever catches your attention and then continue into Smithville or toward Copper Shot Distillery in Bastrop. Not every distillery needs a concert stage and an artisanal pickle menu.
Before You Go
Bone Spirits currently lists tasting-room hours from noon to 5PM Thursday through Saturday. Because the tasting room had reopened only one weekend before our visit, confirm the current schedule before driving to Smithville.
The tasting room is located on the second floor and requires climbing a narrow metal staircase. I did not see an elevator during my visit, so visitors with mobility concerns should contact the distillery before making plans.
Do not arrive hungry or expecting a cocktail menu. No food, snacks or drinks beyond water were available during our stop. The experience is centered on tasting spirits and purchasing bottles, and the selection may change depending on which releases are available.
Parking in front of the building is limited, but additional street parking is available. Allow roughly an hour for the visit unless you are particularly good at turning a whiskey conversation into an afternoon. Some of us possess this skill naturally.
Location, Hours and Contact Information
Address:
802 NE 1st Street
Smithville, TX 78957
Current tasting-room hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 12PM to 5PM
Friday: 12PM to 5PM
Saturday: 12PM to 5PM
Sunday: Closed
Phone:
(512) 237-5000
Official website:
Bone Spirits LLC
Reservations or tour booking:
No reservation was required when we visited during posted tasting-room hours. Contact Bone Spirits directly before visiting with a group or requesting access to the production area.
Directions:
Open Bone Spirits LLC in Google Maps
Information last verified:
October 22, 2026
Final Thoughts
Bone Spirits is one of the least conventional distillery visits I have made in Texas. It is not polished, heavily marketed or designed to keep visitors entertained for an entire afternoon. The tasting room feels like a small addition to a much larger production operation because that is essentially what it is.
That simplicity works in Bone’s favor. Joe was friendly, candid and more interested in explaining the spirits than delivering a rehearsed sales pitch. His willingness to hold back 12-year barrels that had become too heavily oaked also suggested that putting out a good product mattered more than taking advantage of an impressive age statement.
My wife left with the vodka, while I purchased the Bottled-in-Bond and 12-year bourbons. Bone may not be a destination for cocktails, food or live music, but it is absolutely worth visiting for anyone curious about the quieter industrial side of Texas whiskey. Sometimes the most interesting distilleries are the ones that have been too busy making everyone else’s bottles to spend much time talking about themselves.
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