About Us

Who is Chapline Distillery?

We are a true grain-to-glass nanodistillery, focused on making exceptional single-barrel bourbon, bottled at 110 proof. The white corn that is the soul of our product is locally grown, and other grains are sourced from local suppliers. We strive for sustainability wherever possible, reusing 100% of cooling water, and recycling spent grains as livestock feed. We are constantly developing ideas, most recently our limoncello and a pure vanilla extract, both of which are uniquely made with whiskey. We are veteran-owned and veteran-friendly. We love sharing a drink with our friends, our families, our neighbors, and you.

Meet Mike

Mike Chapline is a retired Navy submariner and an experienced IT executive.  He has led diverse teams around the world. He’s been a leader at HEB Grocery Company and Capital Group Companies.  Mike has a passion for making distilled spirits, leveraging his experiences as a nuclear engineer.  His goals, rather than being a big distiller, is to make among the best bourbons in Texas, l to mentor others, and to continue to be a lifelong learner.  Mike is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Catholic University of America. 

Man hugging bourbon still

Why Bourbon?

Unlike other whiskeys, bourbon is made only in the U.S., so it is the only true American whiskey. Scotch, Rye, Irish and other whiskeys are great, but they have other “mash bills” or different grains. Bourbon is truly unique and All-American.

Besides a goal of making a great barrel-strength Texas Bourbon in small batches, the other goal of Chapline Distillery is to become a learning center for bourbon, bourbon tasting and distilling. The program is a work-in-progress, but will include guest lectures and tasting. 

About the angels…

“The angels’ share” is a term for the portion (share) of the bourbon’s volume that is lost to evaporation during aging in oak barrels, or lost to the oak barrel.  Because a small percentage of the bourbon evaporates into Heaven, it’s called the “angel’s share.” Images of drunken angels notwithstanding, this unavoidable circumstance is both a blessing and a curse. As we mentioned, one of the biggest reasons alcohols like whiskey are aged in barrels is to remove some of the undesirable parts of it.  The main reason it’s so important to bourbon is that it adds the flavors that make it special. Even the angels in Heaven can’t give an exact percentage of their share versus your share until we empty the barrel after aging.

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