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Bourbon Review: Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon (2019)

We review the 2019 release of Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon, a super premium Texas bourbon that clocks in at a mouth watering 137.3 proof.

OVERALL RATING

9
$250.00
  • Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer.
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Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon (2019)

Tasting Notes

About:

Mash bill of 74% corn, 15% soft red winter wheat, 11% two-row barley, aged five years; sold out at the distillery and most retail locations, though available a handful of places online for $250 and up for a 750ml bottle. 68.65% alcohol by volume/137.3 proof. Each of the 6,440 bottles is hand numbered and signed by master distiller Donnis Todd, and comes nestled on a satin pillow inside a custom oak box.
Appearance:
Reddish brown
Nose:
Brown sugar, salted caramel and pecan bars, leather, blackstrap molasses, vanilla cake, your grandfather’s pipe smoke. A splash of water makes the sweet smells come to the fore.
Palate:
Toffee, sweet-tart cherry jam, marshmallows, vanilla, mint chocolate, warm figgy pudding. Starts off spicy and warm on the front of the tongue, and ends with a long, luxurious finish at the back. Once it’s had a little air, it’s not boozy.
Finish:
Comments:
Dan Garrison says the original Cowboy bourbon was a fluke. He had a number of experimental barrels he was considering for a small-batch release back in 2008, but none of them were quite right. When he discovered that legally dumping that much booze can be difficult, he decided instead to blend them all together to see what would happen. Thus was born the first Cowboy bourbon. rnrnDonnis Todd has been refining the recipe ever since, while keeping it anchored at the high end of the alcohol spectrum. It’s a good thing he has. A bourbon at 137.3 proof ain’t for everybody. If you like it hot, though, this is a whiskey you want on your shelf.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Scott Bernard Nelson

Scott Bernard Nelson is a writer, actor, and whiskey reviewer based in Portland, Oregon. While currently working in higher education, he previously dedicated 22 years to journalism, covering impactful events such as 9/11 in Manhattan, crossing into Iraq with U.S. Marines, and contributing to The Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of abuse in the Catholic Church, which inspired the film "Spotlight." Since 2019, Scott has shared his insights as a whiskey reviewer for The Whiskey Wash.  

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