VOM FASS

I think of Vom Fass as a specialty within a specialty. Its not a spice store, despite all the oils & vinegar, and not a liquor store despite all the spirits. But what they do sell — oil, vinegar and spirits being the main deal — they are excellent at.
I’ve purchased multiple oils, vinegars, and fruit liqueurs from them, and enjoyed them all immensely. The vinegars run from sweet & almost syrupy (the fig based ones), to bright citrus flavors. I love the grapefruit/​citrus vins for salad dressings, and the sweeter ones to prepare glazes for appetizers.
Any given day of the week, they have a handful of their liquers available for tasting. A tiny number, compared to (one of) their stores in Germany that I’ve also been to, but we can blame Texas laws for that :) The grapefruit liqueur is delicious — not too sweet to have as a post-​dinner drink, and full of fruity flavor to be a key cocktail ingredient. (They also sell bourbon and other spirits, but I haven’t tried them.)
Their Bee Cave location is conveniently close to TJ’s, so I don’t feel like I have to drive somewhere just to get vinegar & liqueur. Service is good but a tad distant. Not entirely «Texas friendly», but courteous, effective and informative, so I’ll take that.

I’ve seen this place many times on my trips through Bee Caves, but I’ve never really bothered to stop in until today. I’m really fascinated by the model here… you purchase a decanter/​bottle of any size/​shape and they pour your chosen liquid straight from the tap! If you’re big into cooking, or want to really impress dinner guests or use as a gift, they’ve got a really diverse selection of oils and vinegars. There’s wines of course, and a selection of blended whiskies (I didn’t check to see if there were any other types of liquors) too. But for me, the best find was that they carry pure, organic argan oil! For any beauty maven who has looked at the argan oils in Sephora or similar beauty stores, you know that stuff ain’t cheap. I’ve bought a 1.7 ounce bottle of the Josie Maran stuff, and that runs about $ 50… here you purchase a reusable decanter (mine was 100mL @ $ 6) and then the oil was $ 14.99 per 100mL… so comparatively you’re getting about TWICE the product, for about a THIRD of the price. Plus, there are no additives, which makes this oil food grade! I’m extremely happy with this find!

Von Fass is the real deal. They specialize in pure balsamic vinegars of all fruit varieties which are imported directly from the producers in Italy delivered in pouches inside the actual casks. Pure balsamic, which is not what others sell throughout town, although they claim to sell it, comes from only one place in Italy — Modena and is not watered down with other ingredients or chemicals.
The variety of balsamic here: plum, quince, rasberry and so many more are fabulous coupled with meats, salads and deserts. I had a tasting at the shop where I sampled 5 oils and a couple of balsamic vinegars. Did you know you can add balsamic vinegar to wine to make a spritz. It’s fabulous and we tried it here.
The olive oils are first presses from Italy and elsewhere in Europe. They have beautiful liquors such as grappa from Greece and Absynthe from France. I find the prices on point. If you want quality which comes from the source, no middleman involved here, then you pay for it.
Austin needs speciality shops like this and I’m so happy they are located in a really easy to get to place, across the parking lot from Trader Joe’s in Rollingwood. Chris, the owner is a very friendly guy who knows his products and is nice to his customers.
Keep up the good work Vom Fass team.

I purchased a beautiful bottle of premium authentic balsamic winter plum vinegar. Beautiful. Premium quality. Innovative packaging/​The store is a great gifting destination for foodies. I was surprised to see their extensive inventory of imported liquor, grappa and Absynthe. I enjoyed exploring and sampling products, and the owner/​manager was nice, informative, and attentive. They recently relocated from the center near Breed & Co. to the shopping center where Trader Joe’s & Nothing Bundt Cakes are located. Def. recommend.

I’ve bought from them 3 – 4 times. The last time I bought a gift for Christmas, the kind woman helping us was really sweet but unfortunately did not properly seal my bottles. The $ 19 bottle of oil spilled all over my car when it tilted during driving (which did smell nice and all — garlic olive oil), but was wasted and no longer could be given as a gift. I had to go back in and get more spending another chunk of money on oil which I told the owner directly that the bottle was not properly sealed and spilled. He could’ve cared less, charged me full price, and made no attempt to amend for the wasted money I spent previously. An owner who cannot sympathize with his customers or assist in making things right is no business I would like to support. Nice products, fun to browse around the oils, vinegars, and liquors, but VERY pricey and has little concern for their customers.