1693 Distillery sits on 21 acres of rolling Texas Hill Country just outside Fredericksburg, founded by husband-and-wife team Russ and Kelly Russell who opened their doors in 2020. The name honors the year German immigrants first settled this area, and the Russells built their operation from scratch on land that’s been in agricultural use for over a century. Russ brings a background in engineering while Kelly handles the business side, and together they’ve created a farm-to-bottle operation that grows their own corn and sources other grains from Texas farms. They produce bourbon, rye, vodka, and seasonal spirits using a 500-gallon copper still from Vendome Copper & Brass Works. The distillery sits in a modern 6,000-square-foot facility designed to showcase the production process, with floor-to-ceiling windows letting visitors watch every step from milling to bottling. What started as a retirement dream became a full-scale operation when the Russells realized they wanted to create something that honored both the German heritage of Fredericksburg and the agricultural traditions of their land. The property includes their grain fields, the production facility, a tasting room, and a covered outdoor pavilion that hosts events and live music. You’ll find them focused on transparency in their process and ingredients, with Russ often leading tours himself to explain the science behind fermentation and distillation.