Bourbon

Bourbon Review: Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2022

We review Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2022, clocking in this time around at a lip smacking 134.8 proof.

OVERALL RATING

8
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Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2022 review

Tasting Notes

About:

Appearance:
The Texas heat had its impact on color as well as alcohol content. This is dark whiskey, roughly the color of the classic brown crayon.
Nose:
It’s sweeter than you’d expect. Red wine, fingernail polish remover, port, mesquite, orange zest, caramel, dark cherry, bran muffin.
Palate:
Comes on like a soft, leather jacket. It’s velvety and spicy. It does, as you’d expect, taste a lot like the Garrison Brothers Small Batch – only stronger. With water, the Cowboy becomes sweeter and more dessert-like. Think chocolate and cherries, with maybe a hint of Dr. Pepper. The more splashes of water you add, the sweeter it gets.
Finish:
Comments:
The Cowboy comes packaged in a wooden box lined with a white satin pillow, and the bottle has a medal around its neck listing the release year. It looks like it should be expensive bourbon. The question is whether the liquid inside the bottle lives up to the hype.rnrnOn that score, I’m not sure I love the 2022 release quite as much as I did the 2019 version, but it’s close. This is good, idiosyncratic bourbon. Kentucky bourbons have a distinctiveness to them, and the Cowboy is a reminder that Texas whiskeys are developing their own flavor profile, too. This is one of the higher-end Texas releases each year.rnrnIf you have a chance to get a pour of the Cowboy, take it. Drink it neat, and after a sip or two, add a little water. Work your way up the sweetness ladder while the alcohol drops. Then, if you can afford it, pour a second one. You won’t regret it.

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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