Brian Haara
Bourbon. Law. Author.
Sipp’n Corn Bourbon Review – Garrison Brothers Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey
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.
Brian Haara 
Thanks for the warning on this Texas bourbon…the bottle design looks like the best part of this bourbon
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Yes, FWIW, the bottle is certainly cool. I'd buy this at $20-$30, but I have better uses for $70.
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Aside 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. As 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.
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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.
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Garrison Brothers bourbon varies in taste from bottling to bottling. At 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.
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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.
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Would not buy this bourbon at any price. Really disappointing. A strong rye nose and taste. Can do so much better!
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Especially in light of your reaction, I'd be interested in learning about batch variation in Garrison Brothers. Thanks for reading!
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