Tastes

AMAZING!! Will add my more in depth review later. If you see it buy it!!

God bless Texas! I have become quite the fan of the Garrison Brothers line of bourbons, particularly their Cowboy Bourbon. That's why I immediately grabbed this off the shelf when I saw it—I truly felt like I hit the lotto in that moment. Most will have a tough time justifying spending $140 for a bourbon that is only 4-5 years old, but that is only because they haven't tried them some Cowboy Bourbon or Balmorhea. Like their Cowboy Bourbon, Balmorhea is incredibly dark in color. It's not quite the deep dark purple that you see in the Cowboy Bourbon, but it still looks great in your glass with its super dark crimson red appearance. N: Not much burn here. Lots of oak, caramel and brown sugar. P: VERY oily/chewy palate, which I love! This thing is very creamy and full bodied. Like their Cowboy Bourbon, the pallet is oily, almost like a maple syrup. Flavors include caramel, pecan, and hints of oak. F: Medium finish with no burn, which I was expecting/hoping for given its proof. The finish is sweet like a cotton candy with hints of oak and pepper. I don't know if I fully buy into Garrison Brothers claim that 4 years in the Texas heat equates to 23 years in Kentucky, but I will say that this juice tastes a lot more mature than what one would expect from a 4-year-old bourbon. While I love their Cowboy Bourbon (clocking in at 134-139 proof), Balmorhea's lower proof is a nice change of pace and a fun one to sip on a warm summer day. This does not drink like a 115 proof bourbon (I can't decide if that's good or bad yet) as there is absolutely no alcohol burn present. What you've got is a very smooth, flavorful experience from start to finish. I highly recommend. Don't let the price tag cause you to miss out on a great bourbon from an awesome craft distillery. #TexasForever

This bottle was dumped from barrel number 18-5509 on 8-15-18, and clocks in at a proof of 128.2. I NEVER drink Jack Daniel's and was initially hesitant to buy this one, hence the reason I bought the 375 ml offering. I am now wishing that I had bought multiple bottles of the 750 ml offering because this is an incredibly sweet and tasty sip! The initial pallet explodes with a sweetness of flavors. You get a lot of graham-cracker on the tongue with just the right amount of pepper and spice. This one doesn't drink like most barrel proof bourbons that I have had the pleasure of tasting as the heat disappears fairly quickly, which is unfortunate. The finish is quite long, however, and more than makes up for this. A large amount of burnt wood, followed by woodspice and maple syrup linger on the back of your tongue long after you've finished. I highly recommend this one to anyone, even Jack Daniel's haters like myself.

This Oak Stave selection is from Kappy's Fine Wine and Spirits, and was bottled at 110.3 proof. For the Kappy's Private Select, 3 seared French Cuvee staves, 4 Maker's 46 staves, 2 Roasted French Mocha staves, and 1 Toasted French Spice stave was used. Nose: The nose was somewhat subdued. There was just a slight amount of butterscotch and cherry vanilla present, with a little bit of ethanol burn. Palate: very full bodied at the start, lots of buttered rum, vanilla, and caramel are present with just a touch of cinnamon. Finish: VERY long finish, which is quite nice/surprising—the tastes where lingering on my tongue and down my throat for a good minute after, likely the result of the Roasted French Mocha staves. The finish was dry, not nearly as oily as standard Maker's Cask Strength, and tasted like dark fruits and chocolate. The best way I can describe it is a poor man's Booker's "Tommy's Batch" or and overpriced Noah's Mill — a similar flavor profile but without the burn, and spice that you would normally expect in a higher proof bottling. The finish is definitely better than the initial pallet. When compared to the lesser expensive Maker's Cask Strength, overall I would give this a 3.5. While it is still a pleasant drink, this particular selection does not quite live up to its asking price. I love that there are at least a thousand different Stave combinations one can choose from and am curious to try a different combination; maybe one with less Maker's 46, and more of the Roasted French Mocha and Toasted French Spice.

I have never been a fan of Maker's, the flavor profile was always a little too sweet for me and didn't have much of a finish. Maker's Cask Strength on the other hand, well, that is a different story! The palate is nice and rich, coating your entire tongue. Right away you get the familiar Maker's flavor profile, cinnamon, caramel, vanilla and dark fruits, but with a pleasant kick (i.e., heat, spice). The dram drinks quite smooth despite being higher in proof. The best way I can describe it is a Maker's Mark on steroids. The higher proof has just the perfect amount of heat, adding life to the bourbon without being overpowering. The flavor profile reminds me of Weller Antique 107, which makes sense since both are wheated bourbons, and is a great alternative during those times of the year when the Weller products are scarce. I will definitely be adding this one to my list of dailies.