Garrison Brothers 2015 Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review
Distiller: Garrison Brothers. Age: 3 years. Mashbill: 74% white panhandle corn, 15% wheat, 11% barley. Price: $75.
Didn’t have a cowboy campfire available to go with my Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon, but I got as close as I could.
This latest batch of Garrison Brothers’ flagship is 3 years old, with a wheated mashbill. The distillery has been tweaking its production methods, mashbill, and barrels since its first batch in 2009–its original mashbill was 100% corn–and has single barrel and cask strength releases to go with the flagship. More on that cask strength to come.
On first opening, you’ll get a whiff of small-barrel woodshop, but hang in there. The nose improves considerably after a few days/drams. The rawer notes blow off to reveal roasted corn, saddle leather, and waffle cones.
The palate’s where this really shines. Tons of spice–clove, cinnamon, and ginger snaps, along with dark caramel. Remarkable how prominent the spice given the lack of rye in the mashbill. Great mouthfeel. Medium finish with maple and hickory smoke creeping in.
It’s a premium pour at $75 for a bottle of the flagship and $200 for the cask strength Cowboy Bourbon, but for craft whiskey lovers, it’s a must-try. Cheers, friends! -BO
Garrison Brothers kindly provided a bottle for review. As always, our opinions are 100% our own.
