Whiskey News

New Fort Worth whiskey distillery to open in former Rahr & Sons space

Blue Flag Distillery founders Nate Swan and Will Rucker with their very big pot stills.

Blue Flag

A new whiskey distillery will open at a Fort Worth address known for brewing: Called Blue Flag Distillery, it's a new enterprise that will bring American single malt whiskey, located in the former Rahr & Sons Brewing space at 701 Galveston Ave. in Fort Worth's Near Southside.

According to a release, it will open in the fall.

Blue Flag is from founder and president Will Rucker and head of operations Nate Swan, who knows the space well: He worked for more than a decade as a brewer at Rahr & Sons, and is now applying his expertise to distilling.

The name Blue Flag refers to a tradition Rucker started in his neighborhood.

“The concept for Blue Flag began with evenings on our family’s porch, where friends and neighbors would gather for drinks and conversation,” he says. “We’d fly the flag to let the neighborhood know that all were welcome to join us. Blue Flag Distillery is our extension of that hospitality and connection to our city on a large scale – to aspiring spirits enthusiasts, seasoned whiskey connoisseurs, and everyone in between."

Their signature product will be an American single malt, but that requires aging for three years. In the interim, Blue Flag will also producing artisanal gin and brew beer on-site.

“Introducing our American Single Malt Whisky to North Texas and beyond is something I’m passionate about,” Swan says. “The opportunity to do that in Fort Worth makes it even more meaningful.”

To do that, they've obtained what a release says are two of the largest pot stills in the U.S.

Rahr & Sons departed in May in search of a larger location. Blue Flag has redesigned the 37,000-square-foot space, which will include retail sales, a tasting room for whiskey and gin, and event space for hosting gatherings of 50-600.

American Single Malt was just recently recognized as a regulated whiskey category by the U.S. government's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in December 2024. The designation means the product must be mashed, distilled and aged in the U.S., distilled from 100 percent malted barley at a single distillery and aged in oak barrels.

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Vegan News

Fort Worth's only fine-dining vegan restaurant abruptly closes

Chris Plavidal

Maiden: Fine Plants and Spirits

Fort Worth's first and only fine-dining vegan restaurant has closed: Maiden: Fine Plants & Spirits, the vegan tasting restaurant that opened in June 2023 in the PS1200 complex, closed abruptly on July 7.

According to a post from the owners, the restaurant was locked out of its space and is now permanently closed.

The post acknowledges that the restaurant had "fallen behind" on paying its rent.

"Like many independent restaurants, we’ve faced an incredibly tough six months with rising costs, a slower season, and the lasting economic effects that so many small businesses are feeling right now," the restaurant's post says.

"We had fallen behind on rent and were hoping to renegotiate our lease and keep Maiden going in the space we’ve loved so deeply. Unfortunately, those efforts didn’t come together in time."

Maiden was the ambitious venture from the founders of longtime vegan restaurant Spiral Diner & Bakery, and opened with big dreams in the same block as Spiral Diner, alongside a companion bakery-dessert shop called Dreamboat Vegan Donuts & Scoops.

Maiden debuted with a $150 seasonal 8-course tasting menu consisting entirely of plant-based food, designed to be consumed over a two- to three-hour timespan, with two seatings per night, and room for 50 diners per seating.

But they also opened with limited information about the menu, very few photos, and photos that did not present the food well (see example above). They also enacted a rule that diners could not take photos of the food — further limiting the restaurant's marketing and viral reach.

In recent months, the restaurant posted that business had fallen off. They quietly closed down Dreamboat in March 2025, shifting the doughnut operation over to Spiral Diner, and they also closed two locations of Spiral Diner: Denton in 2024 and Dallas in 2022.

Interest in vegan dining surged leading up to and during the pandemic, and Fort Worth saw a number of openings in recent years. But that interest in vegan dining has slacked off, leading some Fort Worth vegan restaurants to close or change their business model in recent months, including Mariachi's Dine-in, acclaimed pizzeria Pizza Verde, and Vice Burger.

As is always the case when a restaurant is locked out for nonpayment of rent, Maiden did not receive advance notice.

"We weren’t given notice before the lockout, and we’re still processing how abruptly this chapter has ended," the post says. "It’s painful and disorienting but we know how much heart went into every part of Maiden, and how much love came back from this community in return."

The management is offering its staff other employment opportunities, and thanked its customers.

"Maiden was a team built restaurant with everyone working together towards a common goal. We are all feeling this loss deeply," the post says. "We don’t know yet what comes next. But we’re still here. And we still believe in cruelty-free cuisine."

vegan closings