Garrison Brothers Guadalupe (2021 Release)

I am a huge fan of Garrison Bros bourbon. Cowboy and Balmo are sensational. I enjoy Honeydew and even the small batch. Thus, despite warnings, I lustfully pursued this bottle. I did find it listed online at a few stores, but upon arrival, they would not sell to the public (saving for bar purchase). This seems like real bullshit to me, but whatever. I reached out to my whiskey connection. My "source" delivered yet again that same day from an undisclosed liquor store at MSRP. After all that hoopla, I expected to be let down, and I was. Neck pour wasn't that much better than small batch. Certainly nowhere near the vaunted Cowboy. Pissed off, I overpaid; back on the shelf it went. Second outing was better, and by the shoulder break, I was a happy camper. This is a nuanced, sensitive Garrison's that needs time to open up, allowing the port casks to be released. Poured neat/drop (be very careful with water, as it washes out the cask fruits easily). Nose has the Garrison flour/sawdust funk with maple oatmeal, black raspberry jam, melted caramel, raw cinnamon, and lots of barrel oak. It's hiding in the glass; you have to coax it out. Palate is not the flavor bomb of Cowboy or Balmo. It's rich and delicious but doesn't assault the taste buds. Abundant caramel and oak accompanied by aged dried dark fruits courtesy of casks from Portugal. Leather and Gfunk round it out, leading to a finish of heavy barrel, dry spice, cinnamon, sweet pipe tobacco, fading caramel-wrapped fruit, and dark chocolate. This is an easy drinker even at 107 proof and tastes older than 6 years. I'm sure the unbelievable Texas freeze in February has affected all the state's whiskies in 2021 in some way, so I would imagine there will be variation to contend with. With all that said, I do really like this bourbon but do not think it's worth $130's, never mind secondary pricing (put that $ towards Balmo or Cowboy). If you want a wine cask finished bourbon, Belle Meade Sherry is amazing for much less money. Alas, this is still very enjoyable, so despite pricing... 90/100... if Garrison would only make more, it would cost less, yadda yadda... they know exactly what they are doing.

So let me start by saying and letting it be known that I’m a fan of the Garrison Brothers but this bottle is trash, my absolute worst buy of 2021. Garrison's profile does not mix well with the port finish and at $150.00 bucks for something I won’t even drink, it’s that bad.

Sweetness of cherry, oat, molasses, and brown sugar. Corn and heat are present at the end. While the label mentions caramel, raspberry, and chocolate, it's closer to an oatmeal cookie.

A deep, distinctive flavor from the port finish.

Like consuming a bottle of syrup