Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon has only been around for about for eight years, but it’s already one of the most beloved and sought-after bottle drops on the yearly bourbon calendar. Folks line up overnight to grab one of the only 1,000 bottles released at the Hye, Texas distillery, which happened last weekend. Naturally, every bottle was gone as quickly as people could file into the distillery after the gates opened.
If you happened to miss that bottle launch, don’t worry, you’re still in luck. This year, 8,600 bottles are being released on October 1st, which means that it’s high time for a bottle review.
Before we dive into what’s actually in this bottle and how to buy it (I’ll cover that below too), let’s look at where this whiskey is made. Garrison Brothers Distillery is set amongst the old oaks, Texas Longhorn cows, coyotes, and scrub of Texas Hill Country. The grains the distillery pulls for their mash are all locally grown in Texas and include sweeter, food-grade white corn (most bourbon is made with yellow corn). Moreover, the water used in every step of the process is collected rainwater that’s stored all over the 60+ acre property. Long mashing (boiling grains to extract sugars), longer fermentation (letting yeasts turn those sugars into alcohol/beer), and low-and-slow antique still distillation all add to the terroir of Texas present in the juice made in Hye.
Then there’s the aging that’s done on-site as well. Most Garrison Brothers’ bourbons are rested in standard 53-gallon barrels (Cowboy Bourbon actually isn’t but I’ll get into that below) and stored in a “palletized” system. That means the barrels are stacked on pallets on their heads and then stacked three or four pallets high in a barrel house (this is largely for easier access to barrels as they age).
Finally, the weather in Hye can range from below 50 degrees at night to above 100 during the day in a single 24-hour period. That temperature swing means the barrels are constantly expanding and contracting a lot, which then means that the juice in those barrels is in contact with the wood way more than, say, Scotland where the weather is far milder and has far less of a temperature swing. That, in turn, means that there’s just more of those wood sugars going into the whiskey more quickly and deeply, which means that you need an expert master distiller at the helm to make sure things aren’t overcooked. Luckily, Donnis Todd is just that expert for Garrison Brothers and cares deeply about every step of this process.
All of that adds up to make Garrison (and several other Texas whiskeys) extremely unique and very much driven by being made in Texas. In short, it’s not just a gimmick, Texas whiskey really is its own thing from top to bottom.
Okay, let’s get into what’s in this year’s Cowboy Bourbon bottle!
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Garrison Bros. Cowboy Bourbon
ABV: 67.4%
Average Price: $249
The Whiskey:
Cowboy Bourbon is Garrison Brother’s signature bottle of whiskey. This year’s release was made from 118 hand-selected 25-gallon barrels, aged between eight and nine years. Master Distiller Donnis Todd went through all of their small-format barrels over the course of the year to find a dozen or so that he thought met the high standards of Cowboy Bourbon without filtering or cutting with water. That makes this a very as-is representation of what makes Garrison Bros. special.
The Bottle:
The bottle is a classic large format whiskey bottle. It’s dipped in hot wax to seal and comes in a plush wooden box. Overall, this has a great presentation that works both as a bar cart centerpiece and as a great gift.
Tasting Notes:
The nose opens with a rush of sharp cinnamon bark wrapped up with old saddle leather, freshly fried apple fritters, walnuts, old cedar bark braids twisted up with dried wild sage, and a hint of dried yellow mustard flowers with an underlying sense of maple syrup over pecan waffles. The palate leans into the spice with a hint of allspice and ginger next to apple pie filling with walnuts, brandy-soaked raisins, and plenty of brown sugar next, next to spiced Christmas cake dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
The end takes its time and meanders through salted caramel, stewed plums with star anise and sharp cinnamon, a hint of vanilla Dr. Pepper, and a mild sense of chocolate-cinnamon-spiced chewing tobacco buzziness with a warming Texas hug that’s part Hot Tamales and part chili-spiced green tea.
This felt like a journey through an old rickhouse that had a cake and candy shop in it. It was heavy and hot yet somehow soft and almost light on the palate. It was nuanced but never overwrought or exhausting. It’s perfectly balanced.
Bottom Line:
I really like this neat, but it’s a lot (especially for a beginner palate). I’d recommend taking your time with a little water to let it bloom in the glass. The creaminess of the dark chocolate and vanilla really amp up. It also shines over a single rock; the creaminess pops alongside an almost bitter espresso and an old oak stave note comes into play.
Ranking:
95/100: This is a damn near perfect whiskey. It’s hot though and you can feel that heat (with purpose) which is all that’s holding it back from a perfect score.
Where To Buy:
8,600 bottles will be released across the U.S. in 42 states. The suggested retail price is $249.99. Check-in with your local liquor store to find out if they stock it before October 1st.
