Ctrexman
Garrison Brothers HoneyDew
Flavored Whiskey — Texas, USA
Reviewed
January 27, 2021 (edited April 19, 2022)
Well I was excited to find this finally at Specs 1 per customer. Its not a flavored bourbon but lets just say its heavily finished. I love honey and sweet bourbon so this should work for me .......it does. Poured neat nose is clover honey and raw dough with gold medal flour tossed all over. This flour note is identifiable in Cowboy as well. I think this is the sawdust some speak of but I get flour. After time there is also bamboo beads and sharpie. The honey will mature into a thicker beeswax if rested. Palate belies 80 proof with total flavor saturation. Rich thick raw honey notes dominate with an unexpected spicy kick. Light woods and more doughy bakery goods with the sprinkled flour persist in the periphery. Its a one trick pony but this equine plays violin. Finish is same honey dough lingering with nutmeg, leather and barrel oak that is non drying. If you like this profile its all star. I wont deny the pricing is way out of line at 70-80+ should actually be in the 40s imo maybe 50 but thats the price for craft small business distillery. Im ok with that as I live local to these guys but cant see how others will be on board(guess youll never find this anyway). At the end of the day I am personally enamored with Garrison Bros and will support them.........86/100.........great stuff imo just not worth the price of admission. Non sweet tooths need not apply
70.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@BeppeCovfefe What I mean is they put barrel cubes that absorbed honey into the barrels of bourbon. This seems to me more akin to finishing than directly adding honey flavoring. They have not ruined this bourbon its quite good actually nothing like any of the putrid flavored bourbons out there. Have you had this yet? The pricing is stupid high at 70+ but you know what...I will replace this bottle when its gone if I can still find it
"Not a flavored bourbon" you say??? Good Sir, I beg to differ. "Honey-Infused Bourbon" right on the label. How would that not be considered flavored? Ok we can argue all day on the propriety of "flavored" whiskey. My real beef with Garrison Bros is the fact they are selling whiskey that literally flies out the door at premium pricing and they think they have the quantity on hand to "flavor" it with honey? This is insane, much like Knob Creek ruining perfectly good bourbon with pancake syrup, somehow marketing and nitwit corporate sales have allowed the folks with any common sense at these brands to be hoodwinked into this nonsense. What's next Garrison Bros Granny Smith Green Apple Whiskey? This bughouse roudydow insanity needs to STOP.
Love the review and the discussion even more. I am a fan of our Ky local craft guys and pay more than the flavor offers but I want them to succeed. The lot of you have inspired me to get out and try Texas whiskey. Visited Wilderness trail last week and Bardstown Bourbon a month or so ago. Really liked the operations and whiskeys but both still need some maturity. They are doing it right so I look forward to future offerings. I think my next stop will be some Texan offerings.
@PBMichiganWolverine awesome! Tell Ashish Will from Bourbon Charity sent you! Enjoy it, it's a really good pick. We picked it out of 9 barrels samples blind.
@dubz480 nice! This is literally the town next to mine—-a mere 5 min car ride. Thanks!!
@PBMichiganWolverine, you are in luck! Our Bourbon Charity Taconic Single Barrel Pick "Honor the Fallen" is for sale out of a New Jersey liquor store! Just $55! Here is the link and enjoy: https://sterlingfinewines.com/shop/?product-id=5fa1a54c5a5f78248b7e4ec2
@dubz480 I’ve had the standard Taconic maple finished, which was really good. I’ve heard the higher proof version is even better, but hard to find
Great review and 💯 agree with your assessment. It's tasty but $40 tasty. Widow Jane Decadence is far superior at this price point and comes with a 10 yr age statement. Pro tip, look for Taconic Double Barrel (maple syrup finished). $50, 115 proof and the best of the bunch!
@WhiskeyLonghorn Good point. I really hope so. I like the GB profile based on the single barrel expression I tried. Looking forward to trying more in the future.
@ctbeck11 Garrison Bros is a big player in the Texas craft scene. I suspect that as they’re able to mature more stock in the coming years, we’ll see more affordable options from them, just like Balcones and Stranahans are doing.
Sounds really unique. This one has been on my radar along with other GBs (coughCowboycoughcough), but just can’t bring myself to shell out for the astronomical prices they charge. Maybe I’ll find this in a restaurant one day.