Down the Hatch: Texas grain

Herman Marshall Small Batch Whiskey comes to Oklahoma

Bon vivant Marshall Louis, originally from South Africa, has been in Dallas for the last 35 years and making whiskey with Herman Beckley for the last twelve. Together, the two make up Herman Marshall, Dallas County Texas’ first distillery, and the only distillery in Texas producing bourbon, rye and single malt from grain to glass. 

I met him at Franklin’s Pork and Barrel in Broken Arrow for a tasting of his product, which has recently expanded into the Oklahoma market. 

Marshall poured me a half-dram of the bourbon, which won third place in the 2015 International Whisky Competition’s best small-batch bourbon category.

“This is what took us to the dance,” he said, setting down the bottle.

The square-ish bottle has black wax on its cap and neck—though there’s no drip.

“Maker’s Mark copyrighted the wax drip,” he said. “We’re not allowed to have one.”

Nevertheless, the bottles are hand-dipped in wax once full, and then hand-labeled—indicative of the intimately crafted product that sat before me on Franklin’s beautiful, shiny bar top. 

An imperfect circle encompasses the brand initials. When I asked why, Marshall responded, “because life isn’t perfect.”

Hence, whiskey. 

I take a sip. Herman Marshall’s bourbon is buttery, caramel in taste and color, with a honey flower blossoming as it hits your tongue. 

“How did you start?” I asked.

“In Herman’s garage. So, illegally. But, show me a whiskey maker who’s started legally,” he laughed. 

When the two met fifteen years ago at a Starbucks in Dallas, Marshall was newly retired, ready to begin an adventure of scuba diving and fishing. 

“I said, man, don’t mess up my plan.”

But mess it up they did. With a seven-men-and-women team, Herman Marshall is currently in 3,000 Texas locations (restaurants, bars, and stores) and has broken into 40-plus locations in Oklahoma. 

On the sides of the bourbon, rye, and single malt bottles you’ll find a triptych of photos that create one image—a pre-prohibition Dallas street scene. 

“I wanted to throw a little local-schmocal in there. Prohibition laws are alive and well in this part of the country, but I guess I’m ok with it.” 

In “Down the Hatch,” assistant editor Liz Blood offers a look inside Tulsa’s many bars, pubs, saloons and gin joints. Send suggestions for future columns to liz@langdonpublishing.com or @lizblood on Twitter. For another taste, visit the newly refurbished Beehive Lounge.