Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

No overly sweet, good bourbon, nice Texas medium between Tennessee and Scotland.

Plum, apricot, Smokey

Was given a bottle of this as an X-mas gift from a dear friend and was very eager for the unexpected opportunity to sample and review. Here goes: Nice healthy nose of funnel cake/fry bread, oak, caramel, nutmeg, bakers chocolate, and a clean rubber aroma; not burnt tire or rubber cement but almost like a new rubber toy or something. Palate swings with big flavors opening with toasted marshmallow and vanilla, morphing into caramel covered baked apple in the mid palate, all while riding on an oak blanket. I think it’s fair to compare this to Balcones offerings and this is a softer, more integrated experience. Finish lasts longer than expected and goes from baking spices (clove and nutmeg) and oak to Cinnamon Bears candy, finally fading into a nice chocolate syrup note. Mouthfeel is oily, medium bodied, and nicely suited for the flavor profile. There’s definitely a lot going on here. I did really enjoy this and it was nice to compare and contrast to Balcones which I am very familiar with. But we must address the elephant in the room; EIGHTY FIVE DOLLARS??? No way. It’s nice, but not that nice, and I wouldn’t see myself shelling out for this if it were my own money. At $50 this would be a staple. At $85, a passing curio and a 3.5 rating.

Nose: Hello Texas heat! Loads of dry, new charred oak character. But because this isn't super high proof, there's a waxy nut quality to it as well. Almost furniture polish. Biscuits sans gravy. Dusty corn. Hiding behind that wall of oak you find the vanilla and brown sugar, as well as some blueberries and blackberries. This is not a sublte or toned down experience - this is big, bold, and forward. Palate: The oak is a little more tempered here, though still front and center. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, black pepper. Smoked paprika. Dusty leather and cigar tobacco. A little tinge of chocolate and citrus, maybe even a little mint. A total wall of flavors. Maybe not the most complex, and there's still a touch of new-make funk hiding in there, but the balance of flavors in this context is pretty good. Medium mouthfeel, with a barrel bite and burn that helps it from being an oil slick. Finish: This is going to be shocking, but there's loads of oak here. Barrel bite, tannin, and char. The ethanol is a late comer, and is followed by Play-Doh, vanilla, clove, and mint also swirl in while that oak just doesn't stop. Berries and cream with honey eventually get revealed, and we ride out with ash and that slightly sweet, bitter oak wave for a long time. Other notes: If you need help understand what people are talking about when they say they're getting "oak", just pick up something from Texas, maybe a Garrison or Balcones. You'll know EXACTLY what it is from then on. Texas is almost the inverse of Scotland, in that the barrel impact is almost too fast. This can lead to not enough time letting new-make funk "age out", though I would assume that'd push a distiller to craft a new make that's a little more approachable. It's no secret that Texas is home to some kick-ass distilleries doing some kick-ass work. I might not seek out another bottle of this, but this is another one I'm glad I'll have tried. Fun adventure, this one.