Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon (2016 Release)

As a Texan, I seek out every Texas whisky available. Progress is slow here in Albuquerque, but recently, to mark the completion of a long personal project, I acquired a bottle of Garrison Brothers Small Batch bourbon from Hye, TX. This is a 3-year-old bourbon, composed of 74% corn, 15% wheat, and 11% barley. It's 94 proof, cost $80.99 for a fifth at Total Wine, and displays a deep copper hue in the glass, much like stained wood. NOSE: The aroma immediately brought smoke, reminiscent of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Proof, though not identical. Then, a pleasantly sharp note I couldn't place but felt familiar from my youth emerged. There was some kind of spice, fresh wood – not pine or construction lumber, but something else, peanut shells, and then a scent that made me think of balsa wood, sawdust, or punk. This seemed very similar to the earlier wood note, yet subtly different. A honey aroma followed, and finally, a strong nutty cereal scent appeared. MOUTHFEEL: It felt thick and oily, much more so than I would have anticipated from only 94 proof. TASTE: Upon tasting, I immediately detected milk chocolate. A honey note then arrived, succeeded by puffed wheat, and a light black pepper taste concluded the experience. I never perceive as much on the palate as I do on the nose, so this was not a downgrade; the palate matches the nose in quality, if not in the breadth of notes. FINISH: The finish is the only aspect of the whisky that I find somewhat disappointing. It's short, starting with puffed wheat that quickly fades into sweet chocolate before vanishing entirely. SUMMARY: This is a good, distinctive whisky. It's as uniquely Texan, in its own manner, as Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon. (As a side note, Garrison Brothers was the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas. Balcones Distilling was the first distillery, reaching the market a year before Garrison Brothers, but Balcones didn't begin distilling bourbon until a few years later.) This spirit isn't worth $81, but it is very good, and I would consider $65-70 a fair price. At that price, I would purchase it whenever possible. RATING: It holds the seventh level (counting from the bottom) on my personal scale, Right Fine. This equates to 4.375 stars, 87.5/100, or 8.75/10.

The aroma evokes a freshly vacuumed office and fields of barley in summer. The taste features sweet barley notes, reminiscent of a young whiskey, starting quite grainy and malty before finishing sweet. It tastes much more like an American single malt or blend than a bourbon.

Aromas of gingerbread, clean and agreeable. Notes of dark fruit and abundant baking spices. The finish persists for quite some time.

Smooth, but lacks complexity. I detect only about 3 flavor notes.

Smooth flavor. Remarkably consistent. Among my favorites!!

Citrusy. Smooth finish. Wonderful flavor.