Dripping Springs is known for its breweries and distilleries. But only one has a mailbox fashioned like a giant shotgun shell and a tasting room festooned with artillery – and whose owner was subpoenaed by the U.S. Congress for his chief role in a plot to overthrow American democracy.

One Shot Distillery is owned by Phil Waldron, the alleged architect of a dangerous coup scheme whereby the military would have seized voting machines to keep Donald Trump in office after President Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election.

Waldron is a retired Army colonel with nearly 30 years of service specializing in information warfare. He told Reuters that in August 2020, he started looking at vote hacking, a prominent conspiracy that many QAnon followers believe. Shortly thereafter, he began working with Allied Security Operations Group, a cybersecurity operation founded by former Republican congressional candidate Russell Ramsland, an election denialist. Very soon, Waldron’s PowerPoint presentation alleging foreign interference in the 2020 election would make him a critical figure in the Big Lie. 

According to Vice News, when Trump lost, Waldron reportedly contacted former U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas, claiming he had spotted internet traffic linked to U.S. voting systems being routed through German servers. Immediately after their conversation, Gohmert called Trump. A few weeks later, Waldron would testify to the Pennsylvania Senate. Afterward, Rudy Guiliani invited him to the White House just as the Trump team started to beg states like Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to replace Biden’s electors to a slate loyal to Trump. 

In the course of an investigation, Reuters obtained images of Waldron’s presentation. He launched a speaking tour for lawmakers in those battleground states. His PowerPoint presentation, “Election Fraud, Foreign Interference & Options for 6 JAN,” gained traction on bogus claims that the Chinese government had control of U.S. voting systems. The presentation even mentions that Trump could “declare national security emergency” and render “electronic voting in all states invalid.” It mirrored Trump’s arguments for Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the electors from swing states Biden won.

Reuters reported a day before Jan. 6 that Waldron enlisted his followers to meet with senators on Capitol Hill about his presentation. Waldron personally presented himself on Jan. 5 to a small group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives. In an interview for the Washington Post, he denied sharing the presentation with Trump’s Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows. Waldron suggested it could’ve been one of his team members. He was interviewed by Reuters and stated he was hesitant to say anything publicly but was convinced by Rudy Guiliani and Michael Flynn to help in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.  A year after the election, on Dec. 15, Waldron testified to the Louisiana State Legislature and delivered a presentation on how voting machines helped steal the election from Trump. Waldron would find himself subpoenaed a day later by the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

During the 2022 midterm elections, Waldron allowed the Republican nominee for Hays County District Attorney, David Puryear, to host a fundraiser at One Shot. Puryear raised $0, according to campaign finance filings. In the general election, Puryear would lose the election to Democrat Kelly Higgins by a margin of 6 points, or 5,506 votes. However, Puryear would follow Waldron’s footsteps to request a recount, which still resulted in Higgins easily having the advantage. 

In 2024, One Shot Distillery has promoted watch parties for the solar eclipse and crawfish season festivities on their social media profiles. However, earlier this year, Waldron allowed the racist and xenophobic “Take Our Border Back” convoy to hold a rally at One Shot. The caravan stated it was the perfect venue since it was a safe space for the First Amendment.

The convoy officially started on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and held the rally at One Shot the following day. The convoy managed to attract a large crowd there. Participants felt the Biden administration was to blame for the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexican border. The event went viral around social media, attracting supporters and alarming residents in the area due to concerns about safety and what extremists might come out to the rally.

Avid Trump supporter, proponent of the birther conspiracy, and grandfather of butt-rock, Ted Nugent, played at the rally (more recently, Nugent played at Buck’s Backyard in Buda).

Former Alaska Governor and failed candidate for U.S. House Sarah Palin spoke against migrants at the rally. On Feb. 3, the convoy would go to Quemado, Texas, for a final rally. 

Waldron and his “stop the steal” rhetoric could resurface ahead of this year’s presidential election, potentially making One Shot a local launch pad for another attack on democracy.

BY CJ CETINA