Whiskey on the Way

Newest North Texas distiller builds on family legacy for small-batch spirits

Whiskey being poured from a bottle into a glass

Grapevine is getting a distillery. Let the drinking begin.

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The number of North Texas microbrewers and small-batch distillers has exploded in recent years, and the newest among them is Rifle Distillery in Grapevine. Owned by brothers Jason and Justin Jackson, and Justin's wife, Allie, it's projected to open this fall, at 541 Industrial Blvd., Ste. C.

Rifle Distillery will focus on vodka and whiskey, with an emphasis on using Texas grains. The distillery seeks to cook, age, and bottle all of their own spirits, making it a notable place to visit.

Originally from Arkansas, the Jacksons spent their childhood in West Texas. Justin has lived in Dallas for the last 10 years with his wife, who grew up in North Texas. "I love Texas, so to me there was no better choice than to open up here," Justin says.

However, this isn't the Jacksons' first foray in the distillery business. Jason also co-owns and is the head distiller for the award-winning Axe and the Oak Distillery in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he currently resides.

When Jason opened up Axe and the Oak Distillery in 2013, Justin, who was a sales rep in the bicycle industry, started to help his brother. "I simply loved his direction, and it was inspiring," Justin says. "So, I started working with him and came up with the idea down here in Texas."

Aside from a passion for quality spirits, the two brothers have always had a knack for making things themselves. According to Justin, the two brothers go by the mantra, "Why buy it if you can make it?" And that includes the tables and chairs in the distillery's reception area and tasting room, which Justin made.

The Jacksons' ties to spirits go back further than the two brothers. "Our great-uncle was a moonshiner in Tennessee," Justin says.

Must run in the family.

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Breakfast News

White Rock Cafe in North Richland Hills is a breakfast & lunch gem

White Rock Cafe

A family-owned cafe is serving Mexican eats and coffee in North Richland Hills: Called White Rock Cafe, it's located at 7640 NE Loop 820 #110, in North Hills Village, in a former event space called Eventfully Yours, where it opened in May.

Not to be confused with White Rock Coffee or White Rock Lake, White Rock Cafe is named after a location in Oaxaca, Mexico — Rosa Blanca — and the ancestral hometown of sisters Jenny and Stephanie Pantoja, who own the restaurant with their cousin Kevin Nazario.

"It's where my father grew up," Jenny says. But she and her sister and her cousin all grew up in NRH.

“We decided to open in North Richland Hills because even though we live on the edge of Fort Worth, we kind of grew up here and are familiar with the people," Jenny says. “That’s why we decided this would be the perfect community to open a breakfast place.”

Their menu ranges from Mexican breakfast to comfort food to burgers and chicken-fried steak. There are all your bacon-and-egg-and-pancake combos with choice of potatoes or grits, but there are also crepes, topped with berries, and a Mexican Benedict, featuring an English muffin topped with grilled red onions, green peppers, seasoned chorizo, poached eggs, avocado, and Hollandaise sauce.

They also have a coffee program including brewed coffee, espresso, white coffee, hot chocolate, and hot teas.

White Rock CafeWhite Rock Cafe

Lunch has a homey home-cooking vibe, including a daily special with dishes like chicken fried steak and pot roast with two sides and Texas toast for only $8. There's a perfect California club with crisp bacon, red tomato slices, and fresh Romaine on toast, neatly trimmed, for $10; and that DFW classic combo of grilled cheese sandwich served with tomato-basil soup.

Prices are low, topping out at $14 for chilaquiles. They're open every day from 7 am-3 pm.

Jenny works in a surgery program most days when she’s not at the restaurant. She got her start working at a breakfast restaurant and grew to appreciate the hours and the culture, inspiring her and her family to open this breakfast cafe of their own.

It's a friendly, tidy place, with black vinyl booths and a lovely mural on the wall that summons the Mexican area for which it is named.

“My father used to work at a Cracker Barrel and other breakfast places, then he had the dream of opening his own place,” Jenny says. “That was the same for me too."

breakfast openings