The Story of Tito’s Handmade Vodka
How the first legal distillery in Texas became America’s favorite vodka
The Shack, the first building constructed at Mockingbird Distillery, housed the entire operation in the early days.
1990
1992
Between oil rigging and mortgage lending, founder Bert “Tito” Beveridge discovers his love of infusing bottom-shelf vodka with fresh ingredients, and earns the nickname “The Vodka Guy."
Tito was tapping the keg when a fellow party-goer approached him with “Hey, you're the vodka guy!” to which Tito responded, “Au contraire, my friend, I am the mortgage guy.”
But that brief conversation got Tito thinking...
1994
After watching a late-night infomercial about discovering ones calling in life by drawing a line down the middle of a sheet of paper, the dream of building Texas’ first legal distillery begins to take shape.
Despite his drive, Tito hit a wall. Investors turned him down again and again, convinced he would never get the needed permits to actually build a distillery. So he racked up 19 credits cards, funded himself, and counted on friends to lend a helping hand.
“Any time you try to do something extraordinary, then you are taking a chance, and you will have failures.”
Tito is a completely self-taught distiller and relied on prohibition-era images of pot stills and lore from the oil fields to figure out the method for vodka distillation.
1995
Tito obtains his permits to become the first legal, operating distillery in Texas and the company breaks ground on 12 acres of land in rural Southeast Austin. A nearby flock of Texas’ state bird inspires the name “Mockingbird Distillery.”
Flavored vodkas lined every liquor store shelf, so we set our sights on making something different: a vodka-flavored vodka. One “so smooth, you can drink it straight.”
After trying all kinds of bases, we settled on corn because of the soft, rounded shoulders and smooth, crisp finish it gave.
1997
After taste-testing, reworking, taste-testing again, and repeating that process too many times to count, we perfect our recipe and sell the very first case of Tito's Handmade Vodka.
We team up with our first nonprofit—the first of many—and donate product, sparking the beginning of our philanthropic journey.
1998-2000
In a market where folks are looking for premium, high-end spirits in flashy, ornate vessels, our simple stock bottle doesn’t fit the mold. But we’re determined to get Tito’s out into the world and start sharing our story with bars and restaurants in our hometown of Austin, Texas.
2000
2001
We take a chance and enter the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the oldest and largest spirits competition in the world. Up against a long list of other vodka brands, Tito’s comes out on top and wins Double Gold.
The Tito’s name starts getting recognized. Through word-of-mouth marketing, tiny black-and-white ads in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and the every-now-and-then social media post, folks start to look for our copper cap.
2010
2013
Since our beginning, stray dogs have wandered up to the Tito's distillery. Through dozens of rescues and constant companionship, they inspired us to create the Vodka for Dog People program with the goal to help pets and their people.
The Mockingbird Distillery
“We’re all made of stardust and it wants us to do good.”
2015
After that first nonprofit event in '97, Tito's continued to work with and support philanthropic causes all over the country, officially launching a new pillar of the brand: Love, Tito's. The goal of Love, Tito's is to turn spirits into love and goodness by giving back to our communities in meaningful ways.
2018
With a goal to create an environment where fresh food is accessible, we built the Fourteen Acres™ Farm and created a no-cost farmers market for our employees at the distillery.
Inspired by the farm, we formed the Block to Block program, teaming up with local nonprofits to build community gardens and farms. Since then, Block to Block has expanded beyond the garden to support animal wellbeing, veteran services, and the environment—all with a goal to reconnect communities, one block at a time.
2020
2022
Tito's celebrates our 25th anniversary with the release of a limited-edition label.
TODAY
Every day, Tito's raises a glass to the folks who sell, serve, and sip our spirit, the organizations that help us do good, and the dogs. Always the dogs.
