While the distillery itself is new, the Skloss’s family roots date all the way back here to 1851, when his third great-grandfather, Heinrich “Henry” Ochs, immigrated to Fredericksburg from Germany. Ochs quickly became one of the town’s first teachers, and later a County Clerk and founder of the Buckhorn Saloon in Fredericksburg. The saloon, which served the family’s beer and whiskey recipes, was one of the first in the area - and became a popular watering hole that can be read about in history books today.
The Skloss's have been working for the past five years to deliver a true farm-to-bottle experience at Luckenbach Road Whiskey Distillery. They first began acquiring the land, known locally as the Frantzen and Bill Hamm tracts, in 2017. They established Frontier Spirits LLC that same year.
Seeking the Lone Star State’s promising life and land, our project’s Founder Stewart Lawrence Skloss’s fourth great-grandfather, Heinrich “Henry” Ochs, moved his family from Germany to Gillespie County in 1851 - becoming one of the town’s first teachers, as well as a County Clerk and founder of the Buckhorn Saloon.
Note: He became teacher and clerk, not a teetotaler, and as such, recognized the need for a place to socialize and grab a drink. Henry took it upon himself to establish one of the first distilleries in Gillespie County and saloons in Fredericksburg. Originally called Buckhorn Whiskey, the family’s personal recipe, made from local harvest of course, was served at the popular local watering hole.
We use the same hand-crafted recipe, known for its tried-and-true taste, Luckenbach Road Whiskey Distillery.
