Chapline Distillery Visitor Guide | Bulverde, Texas
Chapline Distillery sits off of a small quiet country road in Bulverde, TX.
Introduction:
Chapline Distillery in Bulverde is the kind of place that feels less like a polished tourist attraction and more like you have been invited into a neighborhood gathering spot that happens to make its own bourbon. The tasting room is small, the whiskey is made onsite, and regulars tend to settle in rather than rush through a tasting and disappear.
Founded by former Navy submariner Mike Chapline, the distillery focuses on grain-to-glass, single-barrel Texas bourbon. The still sits behind glass directly behind the bar, so you can see most of the production area without putting down your drink or pretending that walking fifteen feet constitutes a strenuous tour.
What makes Chapline memorable, though, is the community around it. Between the outdoor seating, live music, homemade food and people who genuinely seem to enjoy one another’s company, it feels like the sort of place where a quick whiskey stop can quietly consume the rest of your afternoon.
Chapline Distillery is also an official member of the Texas Whiskey Trail’s South Texas region.
Quick Facts
Location: Bulverde, Texas Texas region: South Texas Texas Whiskey Trail: Yes; Member of the South Texas Trail Hours: Monday–Thursday: 11AM to 5PMFriday: 4PM to 9PM
Saturday: 12PM to 8PM
Sunday: Closed Information last verified: August 22, 2026
Family friendly: Yes Dog friendly: Yes; dogs have been welcomed inside, but confirm the current indoor policy Food: Complimentary homemade food, such as chili and cornbread, is often available on weekends; food trucks also visit Outside food allowed: Yes Tours: Informal production overviews may be available; much of the distilling equipment is visible behind glass from the tasting room Reservations required: Not indicated for ordinary tasting-room visits Whiskey tastings: Yes Cocktails: Yes Beer and wine: Yes Bottle sales: Yes Indoor seating: Yes Outdoor seating: Yes Accessibility: Accessible to visitors with disabilities
* Hours, policies and available experiences can change. Confirm current details directly with the distillery before making a special trip.
What to Expect
Chapline sits along Blanco Road in Bulverde, with a small paved parking area near the tasting room and additional dirt parking behind the property. A cluster of live oak trees, picnic tables and outdoor seating occupies the middle of the paved lot, so parking wraps around what is essentially a tiny shaded gathering place. It is an unusual arrangement, but it works—provided everyone agrees not to park where people are currently drinking bourbon.
A small stage hosts live music during weekend events, and depending on the day, you may also find a food truck onsite—or something homemade being served by the distillery.
The tasting room is small and casual, with the distilling equipment visible behind glass directly behind the bar. Military memorabilia reflects owner Mike Chapline’s background as a Navy submariner, while a chessboard, television and honor-system snacks make the room feel more like a neighborhood clubhouse than a formal whiskey destination.
Outside, you’ll also find an oversized chessboard and, on my visit, a fenced area occupied by geese. The geese appear to have no official role in bourbon production, but they carry themselves like middle management.
Grab a seat at the bar, enjoy a cocktail, and admire the micro still in the production room behind the bar.
Whiskey and Spirits
Chapline focuses on grain-to-glass Texas bourbon made onsite from Texas-grown grain. The whiskey is mashed, fermented and distilled using 100% Revere copper equipment, then aged in small 15-gallon barrels. Every bourbon release is bottled as a single barrel, so some variation between bottles is not merely possible—it is part of the arrangement.
Critical Batch is the distillery’s flagship bourbon, made from South Texas white corn and malted barley from the Texas Panhandle. Meticulum adds malted, caramelized triticale—a wheat and rye hybrid—to the mash bill, while Cannonade builds on that recipe with blue corn. Chapline also produces a Texas Straight Bourbon using its two-grain corn and malted barley mash bill.
Many limited releases are named for notable Navy ships and submarines, reflecting founder Mike Chapline’s years working aboard nuclear submarines. Chapline also occasionally produces a honey pecan whiskey called Beez Nutz, a name that suggests the formal naming committee may have adjourned early that day.
The tasting room may also have other house-made products available, including limoncello liqueur and a concentrated vanilla extract made with Mexican vanilla beans and Chapline’s unaged Critical Batch spirit. The exact selection changes, giving regulars a perfectly defensible reason to keep checking what has appeared behind the bar.
Chapline focuses on grain-to-glass Texas bourbon made onsite from Texas-grown grain.
Tasting Room and Atmosphere
Chapline’s tasting room is compact, comfortable and refreshingly unpretentious. The bar faces the distilling equipment behind glass, while Navy memorabilia, whiskey bottles and personal touches throughout the room reflect the people behind the business. It feels lived-in rather than staged for photographs—which did not prevent me from taking photographs.
The atmosphere is friendly and community-driven. Many visitors appear to be neighborhood regulars who know one another, but newcomers are quickly welcomed into the conversation. On weekends, people move between the tasting room and the shaded outdoor seating, listen to live music, play chess or simply stay awhile.
Families are welcome, and the relaxed layout works well for couples, small groups and anyone looking for something more personal than a large production distillery. Chapline is less of a quick tasting-room transaction and more of a place where you may arrive for one pour and gradually realize you have joined someone’s Saturday plans.
Chapline’s tasting room is compact, comfortable and refreshingly unpretentious.
Food and Drinks
The bar serves Chapline whiskey as tastings and neat pours, along with a selection of cocktails. I ordered an Old Fashioned during my visit, and it was well made without trying to distract from the bourbon beneath it. Beer and wine are also available for anyone accompanying a whiskey drinker under protest.
Chapline does not operate a full kitchen, but food is frequently part of the weekend experience. Mike often prepares complimentary homemade food, including chili and cornbread, and food trucks visit for certain events. Availability changes from week to week, so it is best to check the distillery’s social media if food will determine the success of your afternoon.
Small snacks are also available inside on an honor-system basis, and visitors are permitted to bring outside food. No one should be forced to choose between lunch and bourbon. That is how civilizations begin to decline.
Tours and Experiences
Chapline does not operate like a large distillery with scheduled groups moving through an elaborate tour route. The production space is compact, and much of the equipment—including the still—is visible behind glass directly from the bar. When time allows, someone may provide an informal explanation of the equipment and process, but visitors should contact the distillery in advance if a production overview is an important part of the trip.
The small footprint makes the experience more conversational. You can taste the whiskey while looking directly into the room where it was made, then ask questions without being issued a headset or instructed to remain with your group.
Chapline also hosts live music, bottle releases, car shows, holiday gatherings and other community events throughout the year. The distillery offers a custom barrel program as well, with details available directly through Chapline. Check its current calendar or social media before visiting, particularly if you would prefer either a lively event or a quieter afternoon.
Catch liver performances by local musicians most weekends at the Distillery
My Visit
I arrived at Chapline on a warm Saturday afternoon and found Mike Chapline sitting on the porch with a cigar. He greeted me almost immediately and ushered me into the tasting room, which is a fairly effective way to establish that you have come to the right place.
Inside, I started with a neat pour of the latest special release before ordering an Old Fashioned. The cocktail was well made, but what stood out most was not any single drink. It was how comfortable everyone seemed around one another. Regulars moved between the bar and the outdoor tables, conversations overlapped, and newcomers were welcomed without making the place feel like it was trying particularly hard to be welcoming.
Texas distilleries are generally friendly places, but Chapline felt more personal than that. The people there seemed to genuinely enjoy one another’s company. This was not a room full of strangers who happened to be drinking the same whiskey; it felt like a community that happened to leave the door open.
That sense of community is what stayed with me after the visit. The whiskey provides the reason to stop, but the people make it very easy to remain longer than planned—which, to be fair, is how whiskey has handled scheduling for centuries.
Who Will Enjoy This Distillery?
Chapline is an especially good stop for visitors who prefer small, independent distilleries where they can speak directly with the people making the whiskey. Serious bourbon drinkers will appreciate the grain-to-glass production and single-barrel releases, while newcomers will find an atmosphere that is approachable rather than intimidating.
Veterans and visitors with Navy connections may particularly enjoy the submariner memorabilia and stories behind many of the bottle names. After I told one of my neighbors—a former Navy man himself—about Chapline, he made the trip and quickly fell in love with the whiskey, the people and the place.
Families, couples and small groups can all settle in comfortably, particularly during weekends with food and live music. Visitors looking for a large, polished visitor center or an elaborate production tour may find Chapline smaller than expected. Those looking for good bourbon and genuine conversation will probably understand the place almost immediately.
Before You Go
The paved parking area at Chapline is small and wraps around the shaded outdoor seating area in the center of the lot. Additional dirt parking is available behind the property. Take it slowly when arriving, particularly during a busy event when vehicles, picnic tables and people holding whiskey may all be sharing roughly the same patch of Texas.
Much of the seating is outdoors, so dress for the weather. The live oak trees provide welcome shade, but they remain trees and have not yet been certified as air conditioning.
Food availability varies. Complimentary homemade food or a food truck is often available on weekends, but visitors may bring outside food if nothing is scheduled. Check Chapline’s social media before visiting for live music, special releases and other events.
Reservations are not generally indicated for an ordinary tasting-room visit. Contact the distillery ahead of time if you are specifically interested in an informal production overview. Dogs have been welcomed inside during previous visits, but confirm the current indoor pet policy before bringing one.
Location, Hours and Contact Information
Address:
30790 Blanco Road, Suite 301
Bulverde, TX 78163
Current hours:
Monday–Thursday: 11AM to 5PM
Friday: 4PM to 9PM
Saturday: 12PM to 8PM
Sunday: Closed
Phone:
(210) 542-6901
Official website:
chaplinedistillery.com
Reservations or tour booking:
Reservations are not indicated for regular tasting-room visits. Contact the distillery directly about tours, groups or special experiences.
Directions:
Open Chapline Distillery in Google Maps
Information last verified:
August 22, 2026
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