Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Bourbon

Taste like leather

My initial taste hit my tongue much hotter than I had expected and thus took me a minute to get into this dram. After the initial hotness passed I picked up on vanilla, a healthy dash of pepper and some fruit (apples and a touch of orange) as the pepper wore off. This whiskey has the feel of a high quality bourbon - medium/heavy mouth feel and a long lingering aftertaste. However, the aftertaste is the part I didn't like. I heard it described by @TheNeonDram as either candy corn or plato. And yes, I can see both in the lingering aftertaste. More plato for me unfortunately. The good notes in the middle gave way far to quickly to the plato aftertaste and so even with this drink having the feel of a good bourbon, I really just wasn't wild about what I was left with. Not terrible, but not great. Especially for the price.

Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Bourbon does two things really well: 1) it divides opinions on whether is a good bourbon or not and 2) it divides money from your wallet. I happen to be in the camp of thinking it’s quite good. That price tag however, claims greatness and while there’s much to be loved in my opinion, great it’s not. On the nose, a lovely vanilla resides taking up residence along side candy apples, caramel, creme brûlée, sour candy, black pepper and a freshly built wooden fence. Those are all enjoyable enough, but there’s one tough note to pinpoint and once you land on it, there’s no going back. What I detected and attributed to candy corn, other tasters with me identified as “Play-Doh.” Once that happened, the dram become less of a pleasant experience for them and more of a chore to get through. This one is smooth on the tongue with a medium mouth feel. A nice residual heat is unearthed a moment after swallowing, reminding you that it’s humble, but still 94 proof. The finish is super dry offering dark woody notes and dried nuts. This Single Barrel Bourbon has the potential to be a really fun experience. Hopefully, you land on candy corn. (FWF $10 Dram [7th] Share #57 [1/26/2018])

Lets just get straight to the point with this bourbon hailing from Texas - Butterscotch and caramel finished with sweet green apples and a hint pepper. I have only visited Texas once and I do plan on visiting the Lone Star State again at some point with intentions of visiting a few distilleries. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Garrison Brothers Single Barrel. Not for the price.