When agriculturist and developer Biagio Varisco invested money earned through the family’s cotton business to build a seven-story building in 1948, he couldn’t have imagined the stories that would unfold in what would become the tallest building in Bryan. Tales swirled for decades about the building’s rooftop dance floor, hidden safes filled with cash, and famous guests, including Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who played poker in one of the upstairs rooms. One Friday night, Varisco—commonly known as Brazos—lost the whole investment on a bad bet, then won it back on a Sunday before the title could change.
Today, the historic Varisco Building wraps its arms around the lore and holds it tight. Its newest tenants, downtown Bryan’s first craft distillers, chose the name Hush & Whisper partly because of the mystery and lineage of the building. Some evidence of that life remains in a 4,000-pound safe so large it can’t be removed from the property. Plans are to incorporate it into the tasting room, alongside two others. “We’re building on the stories created here—the Varisco isn’t done living,” founder and manager Caleb Clanton says.
The space is extraordinary: 8,000-plus square feet of soaring, industrial ceilings, a swanky bar, Murano chandeliers hanging over tasting tables, and the focal point—a three-story copper still at the center of the bourbon production. “We cut a hole in our floor so guests can see their bourbon being made,” Clanton says. “That’s how committed we are to transparency.”
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In the world of whiskey, ambiguity is the rule rather than the exception. Many assume blended whiskey is an amalgam of two barrels. But that term only means that it’s guaranteed to contain 20% straight whiskey and can be mixed with fillers such as coloring and neutral spirits. And sometimes, companies that call themselves distillers merely bottle a final product that is procured elsewhere. “That feels disingenuous,” Clanton says. “It’s like getting Chinese takeout, microwaving it, and claiming you cooked it.”
Hush & Whisper set out to change all that, and it started, oddly enough, with a delayed flight. While Clanton waited for a friend at an airport store, he randomly picked up an introductory book about distilling. Less than a month later, he turned a burgeoning hobby into a business plan. In October 2023, Hush & Whisper Distilling Co. was born with a mission to produce high-quality grain-to-glass products.
“We make 100% whiskey,” Clanton says. “No shortcuts. No sourcing. We’re doing it the hard way, but it produces the best and most consistent product.” While many operations buy raw distillates from refineries in Iowa, Hush & Whisper sources corn for its base from Field to Family, a fifth-generation farm in College Station. They also monitor and control every step of the production process, from milling and fermentation to distillation and barreling.
Visitors can experience the entire undertaking firsthand on a narrated tour where they can feel the heat from the yeast and mash in the fermentation tank and sample unaged whiskey direct from the still. Most choose to taste the full line of Hush & Whisper offerings—including whiskey, vodka, and gin—in craft cocktails shaped with fresh fruit juices and house-made syrups, tonics, and liqueurs.
While the distillery’s bartenders are well versed in the classics, its original cocktails are the true standouts. Look no further than the Improved Amaretto Sour that has nothing to do with the sweet, almond-flavored liqueur highlighted in its name and everything to do with the company’s white whiskey. To mimic the original drink’s signature flavor profile, they build off the spirit’s malty base with tart lemon, a house-made demerara syrup, almond orgeat, egg white, walnut bitters, and freshly grated nutmeg.
Industry experts are already starting to recognize Clanton’s efforts after just a year on the market. At the 2024 International Spirits Competition, Hush & Whisper’s gin took home both Gold Medal and Best of Category: Classic Gin awards. The distillery’s gin and vodka have also won silver medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Even with those early successes, Hush & Whisper is committed to the long game. In two years, they’ll debut a bourbon that’s currently aging in on-site oak barrels. And tasting room manager and mixologist Nikolai Bogost says that the company’s upcoming rye project—forged from partially filled barrels that provide adequate oxidation—“is the best I’ve ever tasted [in the category].”
Still, Clanton emphasizes he won’t serve or sell anything until it has matured to the peak of its potential. It’s that dedication to giving Bryan the very best that might be Hush & Whisper’s greatest accomplishment.
“By restoring the historic Varisco Building, they’ve not only preserved Bryan’s heritage but also created a distinctive attraction that has become a go-to gathering place for the community,” Mayor Bobby Gutierrez says. “The distillery has been a tremendous and catalytic addition to downtown Bryan.”
