Veteran Bourbon Review: Garrison Brothers Small Batch

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History – Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon is a Texas-based whiskey distillery founded in 2006 by Dan Garrison. The distillery is located in Hye, Texas, and is the first and oldest legal whiskey distillery in the state.

Garrison Brothers produces a variety of whiskeys, including a small batch bourbon, a single barrel bourbon, and a limited-edition bourbon. The small batch bourbon is made from a blend of corn, rye, and malted barley, and is aged in new, charred American oak barrels for at least two years. The single barrel bourbon is made from the same recipe, but is aged for four years in a single barrel. The limited-edition bourbon is made from a blend of corn, rye, and malted barley, and is aged for at least four years in new, charred American oak barrels.

Garrison Brothers has won numerous awards for its whiskeys, including a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2018 for its Small Batch Bourbon. The distillery has also been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Let’s dig in!

Value – This is a very expensive bottle for what it is offering. You may buy it once in that price range but afterwards you realize there are other really great products out there that have similar tastes for way cheaper.

Appearance – The bottle itself looks amazing and really draws the customer to that spot on the shelf. It’s beautifully crafted and goes right with the Texas still of big and flashy. This bottle screams Texas and even has the state of Texas on the bottom of the bottle. Definitely stands out. 

Nose – Malt / Piney / Almond / Subtle

Palate – Heavy Malt / Custard / Vanilla / Chocolate

Finish – Heavy Malt Again / Licorice / Ginger / Low Heat

Summary – I really wanted this bourbon to wow me and even though I like the company based on my experiences with them at festivals and through the way the bottle looks. I cannot seem to shake the heavy malt flavor that really is a turn off for me but at the same time makes this bourbon very different. From its mashbill ration you would not think the malt would bleed through but in this case it really does.

“It’s not bad but just not great. A focus should be on the price and on elaborating on a more complex flavor profile and away from the heavy malt.“

– Andrew Workman

Uniqueness- 1-10 – 5

Appearance- 1-10 – 10

Nose- 1-20 – 6

Palate- 1-20 – 10

Finish- 1-20 – 6

Value- 1-20 – 4