Distillery: Garrison Brothers
Proof: 94
Age: 3 Years
Mashbill: 74% white corn, 15% wheat, 11% malted barley
BACKGROUND: Garrison Brothers Single Barrel is a Texas straight bourbon whiskey that comes in at 94 proof, is a minimum of four years old, and is distilled in Hye, Texas. Garrison Brothers was launched in 2006 and was the first distillery to be granted a stiller's permit for bourbon outside of Kentucky and Tennessee which makes it the oldest legal bourbon distillery in Texas. Their whiskey portfolio includes a Small Batch, Single Barrel, Cowboy (barrel proof), Honey Dew (honey infused), Estacado (port finish) and Laguna Madre (limousine oak), Balmorhea (double oaked), and new Rye whiskey. This small batch is from their 2021 vintage.
NOSE: A dry nose with scents of molasses, fresh cut wheat, dry oak, pine, and some feint honey. Overall it is a soft and drier nose with a very rounded feel and no burn. It isn't very sweet but also not harsh at all, it's just a smooth and easy smelling nose. (21/25)
PALATE: Like the nose, the palate is dominated by oak, oak sugars, clove, dates and orange marmalade. It is quite smooth and unique but completely lacks any proof and full feel to it. It also is rather one dimensional but very smooth and enjoyable, especially in a cocktail. (33/40)
FINISH: The finish is medium in length but is very enjoyable leaving our mouthes watering for another sip. It was dominated by notes of apple spice, baking spices, and oak. (21/25)
VALUE: $85 for a 3 year old 94 proof bourbon is slightly high in our opinion. (5/10)
Overall: 80/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Garrison Brother's Small Batch Bourbon is a tasty bourbon whiskey with unique oak notes. It is a little expensive given the proof and age but if it is your cup of tea then go get it! We think it makes a great manhattan.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Oceanside Bourbon
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Ragged Branch Wheated Bourbon
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
I agree on the taste and the ability to mix. However, I will say that I do not like this Bourbon for a whisky highball, the sweetness and flavor go away and the wheat/corn taste comes through. As someone that lives in a Florida, I go with the highball in the heat pretty often. To sip neat or an ice cube, it is very nice if you like the flavor profile, but with simple club soda I pass. To the purist, that might be a good thing! I have a bottle in the cabinet along with my other go-to Bourbons, even if as a novelty from Texas.
Why do you keep saying 3 years old when your description says aged 4 years"