Because of very limited
distribution, it took a trip to Texas for me to finally find Garrison
Brothers. I had heard so many promising
reviews of Garrison Brothers, so I was really looking forward to my trip last
week to San Antonio. But I had also
heard that it was a bit pricey. The
website embraces its price by stating “Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon
Whiskey is NOT for everyday drinking. It’ll
set you back a little. It should be
enjoyed in moderation, straight up, or with just a little ice.”
After striking out at several restaurants
on the River Walk and at the market, I finally found Garrison Brothers served
at The Republic of Texas Restaurant on the River Walk, where they were kind
enough to also show me the bottle (pictured below). Would this young bourbon be worth the steep
price?
Bourbon: Garrison
Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distillery: Garrison Brothers Distillery, Hye, Texas.
Age: Two
years.
Proof: 94 proof.
Cost: About
$70.00 ($12.00 by the drink)
Tasting Notes
Color:
The color is a lot darker than I’d expect from a young
bourbon; it’s an appealing dark amber.
Nose:
Honey sweetness, grassy and a ton of corn. There wasn’t any real spice to speak of on
the nose, but it was pleasant.
Taste:
I only drank it neat. The taste was mostly corn sweetness, with only a little
cinnamon spice and no earthy or oaky flavors.
It was definitely young from a lack of depth or complexity, but it was good
nevertheless. It seemed a little syrupy
at the end, but not in a bad way.
Finish:
The finish was medium in length but it lingered, and it
again had mostly sweet flavors.
Bottom Line
Garrison Brothers Texas
Straight Bourbon Whiskey isn’t bad by any stretch – it’s a decent whiskey – but
it’s no $70.00 bottle of whiskey. There
are plenty of $20-$30 bourbons that are better any day of the week, and several
sub-$20 bottles too. Unless the price
gets more realistic, leave this one on the shelf.
Score on The
Sipp’n Corn Scale: 2.5 (because of
the price)
The Sipp’n Corn Scale:
1 – Wouldn’t
even accept a free drink of it.
2 – Would
gladly drink it if someone else was buying.
3 – Glad to
include this in my bar.
4 – Excellent
bourbon. Worth the price and I’m sure to
always have it in my bar.
5 – Wow. I’ll search high and low to get another
bottle of this.
Thanks for the warning on this Texas bourbon...the bottle design looks like the best part of this bourbon
ReplyDeleteYes, FWIW, the bottle is certainly cool. I'd buy this at $20-$30, but I have better uses for $70.
ReplyDeleteAside from individual preferences, there are profiles that deserve higher prices, the result of the effort/time/angel's share required to produce them. This profile is quite common, so it would seem that Garrison Brothers is elevating the price to seem like a bigger bourbon than they actually are offering.
ReplyDeleteAs a general rule, I do not spend more than $50 without research, gathering the experienced opinions contained in articles such as this one. For the same price, how much more enjoyment would three bottles of Elijah Craig 12yr bring than one bottle of this corn sugar?
Answer: Immeasurably more.
Well put. Immeasurable indeed. A distinct part of me gives them props for being able to sell at this price, but I'm putting my money elsewhere. Thanks for the comment.
DeleteGarrison Brothers bourbon varies in taste from bottling to bottling.
ReplyDeleteAt the current time they are bottling twice per year.
I think that the fall 2013 release was more tasty than the spring 2014.
For the best of the best, take a trip to the distillery and taste the single barrel.
It is the best I have tasted, and I have tasted quite a few.
Yes, a trip to the distillery is absolutely in my future. I really enjoyed the Garrison Brothers that I tried in San Antonio; it was just the price that seemed out of line with what I can get here in Kentucky. But I'll still be trying more Garrison Brothers.
DeleteWould not buy this bourbon at any price. Really disappointing. A strong rye nose and taste. Can do so much better!
ReplyDeleteEspecially in light of your reaction, I'd be interested in learning about batch variation in Garrison Brothers. Thanks for reading!
ReplyDelete