Ctrexman
Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
Bourbon — Hye, Texas, USA
Reviewed
August 17, 2021 (edited September 29, 2021)
I reversed the normal progression. I had Cowboy first, Balmo second, then this. Okay had Honeydew too but thats just this with the honey finishing. Let me get it out of the way..... Cowboy and Balmo are far superior to this and deserving of their pricetags. I will also state this is clearly overpriced. It is not worth triple the cost of Buffalo Trace but I really dont care. This is a small craft distillery that produces some of the best bourbon available today. This small batch 94 proof has the unique Garrison funk and is so tasty and different from most brands pricing is not a factor. Its a 3 series BMW vs a Chevy Cruze of course the premium cost is not practically worth it but we are not talking about thousands of dollars to upgrade. This is graham cracker and caramel on the nose with light barrel spice. The lovely flour musk/bit o' honey Garrison signature is present. Palate has good mouthfeel leading to crumb cake, runny honey caramel and spicy barrel. Finishes well with all the flavors lingering and splintered wood the final takeaway. Its tastes just like honeydew without the extra honey as expected which is a good thing. My only issue is the other company stablemates. Despite the cost Cowboy and Balmo are so absolutely epic they throw shade at this. Those 2 are experience bourbons with the price tag to go along with it. This could be a good daily but its just too expensive. Its a shame cause this is a quality product with good flavors you just dont find everywhere......83/100.....Have to admit I will not repurchase due to cost
74.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Ctrexman Look forward to your full review.
@soonershrink Cowboy and Balmo are better but its a delicious finished bourbon that takes some time to open up
@Ctrexman What is your early impression of the Guadalupe?
@Ctrexman At that price, I’d buy it. Here it’s priced at $200-300…which for me is a hard pass. At those prices, I’d rather get the proven Cowboy
@soonershrink @PBMichiganWolverine @dubz480 I am actively looking for Garrison Guadalupe to purchase. If I find it it will come home with me. Pricing looks to be in the high 120s
@soonershrink it's not anywhere close to Balmo IMO.
@dubz480 Helps for sure. Honestly, it doesn't take too much discouragement to get me to pass on a $100 bottle of bourbon. I just didn't want to miss something if it turned out to be anything close to balmo.
@soonershrink that’s a good price. It’s $200-300 here. @dubz480 underwhelming at these prices = hard pass for me personally
@soonershrink @PBMichiganWolverine I had a pour the other night and like the Estacado before it, I was left underwhelmed. For me personally the Port finishing on the GBro profile just doesn't work. Hope this helps.
@PBMichiganWolverine Saw it on the shelf for 104, which seemed like a bargain compared to Balmo or Cowboy.
@soonershrink I’ve seen here in the NY/NJ area as well. Was curious about it, but another high priced offering. Will wait till I get a formal review from @Ctrexman before I pull the trigger
Have you tried or heard anything about the Guadalupe release? It just showed up at a local store, and was curious how it compares to their other releases.
Bottle kill: This gets a lot of negative feedback which I think is mostly due to the price. Valid gripe as this is way overpriced and should be in the $40's imo. I do not agree this is lousy bourbon. It has plenty of good flavor and the Garrison unique flour note. No chance I will buy this again though I would rather apply that $$ to a bottle of Cowboy or Balmo which are much more money but absolutely worth it
@Ctrexman Maybe you've seen the bumper sticker: "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as quick as I could." If I pass on Balmo or Cowboy, it'll be because of markup or I just can't find it. And to be fair to the Small Batch, I did finish the bottle in about a week. Still gave a decent buzz.
@skillerified Well I actually chose to move to Texas...on purpose. Could have moved anywhere in the country but chose the Austin area. Cowboy and Balmo are fantastic don't let you're hatred of this small batch stop you from those if you get the chance
Funny we landed on this at almost exactly the same time, but in a completely different order and from totally different frames of mind. I'm basically in the, I'm so fucking glad I'm out of Texas camp, which may have influenced my take a bit.
I agree over priced but still a good whiskey. Have you been able to try their single barrel selection bottled at 47%? Those are usually $100 but really bring a lot of flavor based on the 2 times I’ve tried them.