Garrison Brothers Single Barrel Bourbon

It's bold and Texas style cowboy. Plenty of heat, leather and rough. The flavors of oak, smoke and leather play hard and edge out the florals, caramel and vanilla. The spice and heat are strong but not overpowering. Not bad but pricey and seems to need additional aging to mellow and blend flavors

Cracked a bottle I received as a memento on a trip to TX in 2014 for a 2022 advent calendar sample swap. It was not a hit. The most common complaint being that it was excessively vegetal. Leaving that half empty bottle for two months I returned to it hesitantly as my next bottle to kill and the flavors had really transformed. My enjoyment went way up over the last week as I got the candied complexity a lot of people endorse from Garrison Brothers and the grassy, celery notes faded into the background. Not sure what to take away from this experience: decant TX bourbons before drinking? Give the individual pours a long rest before drinking? Given the price point I probably won’t take a chance on this bottle again, however.

Dark in the glass. Smells a little warm and smokey. Easy shot. Not much of a bite